


Earth, Wind, and Coffee

by riceccakes



Series: Earth, Wind, and Coffee [1]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Bending (Avatar TV), Angst, Artist!Korra, F/F, Fluff, Found Family, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Light Smut, Mental Health Is Important, Mutual Pining, Perfectionist!Asami, Pining, Support Group, but you gotta earn it, drinking coffee, just a couple of besties, the slowest of slow burns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:41:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 49,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27016693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/riceccakes/pseuds/riceccakes
Summary: Coffee is Asami's saving grace. Her senior year of university is hectic, not to mention that an upcoming investors meeting could be the key to showing her father she's capable of having a greater role at Future Industries. Little does she know, she'll find more than just gourmet coffee at the Earth, Wind, and Coffee cafe.Completed.
Relationships: Korra/Asami Sato
Series: Earth, Wind, and Coffee [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2058081
Comments: 110
Kudos: 441





	1. Meetings, Sketches, and Phone Number Exchanges

**Author's Note:**

> just a short coffee shop au i came up with a while ago.  
> thanks for reading. x

Like most college students, coffee is Asami’s saving grace. Between her final semester at university and finding her footing within her father’s company, coffee is the only thing Asami can look forward to. Her morning cups, piping hot with two scoops of sugar, an iced around noon with caramel syrup, and two decafs to finish the night, one with hazelnut and the other black. The schedule was formed during her second year at university and she followed it religiously. It made her schoolwork easier, to have her days all lined out and divide her work between the cups of liquid gold.

Her final year, however, has proved to be anything but easy. With her final projects, making sure she’s fulfilled all her requirements to graduate, and finally receiving a chance for a more direct position at Future Industries, her stress levels have risen and her sleep schedule has suffered. It’s the reason why she spent almost half an hour finding a coffee shop open twenty-four hours. Asami would not rely on any gas station or corner store, and the coffee at her home simply would _not_ suffice for her task at hand: Asami is to give her first power point presentation at a company interest meeting.

This is the most important task Asami has ever received in the four years she’s worked at Future Industries. It won’t be for another month or so, but Asami finally has the chance to impress her coworkers, to impress her father. Her presentation needs to be more than perfect, and while some may say no such thing exists, she would not be Asami Sato if she didn’t at least try to make it so.

The small name coffee shop is a bit far from her apartment but Asami is more than willing to make the commute. She parks her Satomobile at _Earth, Wind, and Coffee_ ; a cute name for a cute looking store. The light is on, one worker is behind the counter, her back to the entrance. The parking lot is empty, Asami is thankful for the vacant shop. She was going to buy the coffee and return home but she already made the trip, why not stay and do some work?

She pushes the door open, hearing a jingle echo in the cafe. The barista looks over her shoulder and stops what she’s doing. She plainly walks to the register.

“Do you need a moment to look?” she asks, her voice tries to be friendly but falls flat.

Asami’s footsteps echo as she walks up to the counter. She nods, viewing all the possible options. The place received four and a half stars on Yelp, there were pictures of various drinks with the reviews people left. Asami thought it all looked amazing and she isn’t sure of what to get.

“Do you have any suggestions?” she says, sheepishly. She’s sure the girl isn’t happy to be working instead of at home in bed, an indecisive customer at one in the morning must not be a welcomed cherry on top.

The barista looks at Asami, her blue eyes are piercing but they’re anything but lively. She’s trying to put a grin on her face but the efforts are subpar at best. Nonetheless, the girl nods, lightly tapping the counter with her fingers.

“Here or to go?”

Asami responds, “Here.”

“You can take a seat, I’ll bring it to you.”

Asami takes a table near the window, placing her bag on the chair next to her. She pulls out her binders and her laptop, placing the laptop in the center and a binder on each side. She takes out her phone, placing it face down in the top right corner of her setup and takes a quick breath. She opens the binder on her left, it’s a collection of sloppily written notes and ideas, using shorthand and abbreviations, some are rough sketches. She grabs a tab and opens to that page, running her finger down the lined paper, trying to read her handwriting. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees a coaster being placed on the table and glances up to see the barista. Asami reads the name tag, _Korra_. She looks at the wide mug, it features an arrow made from foam.

“That’s the Avatar, it’s our best seller,” she says. Her hands are behind her back but Asami can see them fidgeting, “It’s a latte macchiato, we steep some cinnamon sticks in the milk before adding the espresso.”

Asami smiles warmly, excited to try the drink. She thanks Korra and watches as the girl nods lightly and walks back over to the counter. She begins cleaning the espresso machine. Asami takes a sip from the mug, lightly moaning from the taste. She feels Korra’s eyes peer up at her for a moment. Their eyes meet and Asami blushes, putting the mug and her head down. She opens the binder on the right side, pulling out the pen tucked into the inside cover. She thumbs through to the next clean page and begins squinting at her sloppy notes, rewriting them neatly once they’re deciphered.

She stays until she finishes her latte, about forty-five minutes. She’s done a considerable amount of work: reorganized her notes, divided them into which she’d like to feature in her presentation, created the PowerPoint (albeit empty), and refined her sketches to the best of her ability. She isn’t the best with drawing, and they’re nothing like what she pictures in her head, but the harder she tries, the less the sketches look right. Finally filled with enough frustration, she takes the final sip of her drink then starts packing her things up.

Korra comes over to her table. She peers into the drink and takes it and the coaster away. Asami looks up at her, asking about the price. Korra lets out a small breath, “First time is on the house.”

Asami smiles, the two hold eye contact for a few seconds before Korra walks away. Asami has almost all her things when she looks back at Korra. The girl has spaced out, staring at a table top aimlessly as she leans on the cloth in her hand. Asami can’t imagine having to work this shift, though she’s appreciative for her service since she got some work done and tried a brand new drink. She walks over to the tip jar and leaves 100 yuans.

“Thank you again, Korra.”

At the sound of her name, Korra slowly peers over to Asami, who now stands by the door. “Oh, yeah, of course. Have a great rest of your night, or day? I--” Korra shakes her head. “Have a good one.”

Asami smiles and walks to her car.

* * *

Fridays are Asami’s personal days. She doesn’t have any classes, she isn’t required to be at Future Industries, so Thursday nights are the best nights for her to visit _Earth, Wind, and Coffee_. She’s been dreaming about another cup of The Avatar or trying something else, she isn’t sure. However, the coffee isn’t the only reason she wants to visit again.

Korra had been on Asami's mind since she left the coffee shop. They may not have exchanged many words, but Asami more so wondered how Korra ended up with this night shift in the first place. She looked to be about the same age as Asami, maybe a year younger. She was shorter than Asami but Korra could easily lift the massive bags of coffee beans and carry more than two at a time. The blue hoodie the girl wore hid the muscles she had and Asami would be lying if she said she didn’t want to see her arms. Asami had done a fair amount of work, but her little breaks in between consisted of stealing glances at Korra and wondering how someone got roped into working the night shift. 

Does she always work through the night, what about school? When does she attend classes, where does she attend, does she even go to school? Asami has never seen her at her school, Republic City University, but it’s also a large establishment offering a wide variety of majors, maybe she’s just never passed her before. 

She just cannot wrap her head around the thought of someone actually _accepting_ this night position when they look like Korra. (As in, a young adult who Asami assumes is trying to find her way in life and fully commit to adulthood. Nothing about Korra’s ocean blues or flustered tone when saying goodbye tugged at Asami’s mind, no.) Is there no one waiting for Korra at home? Her parents, some friends, a boyfriend, a _girlfriend_? (Is it wrong for Asami to hope no?) Does the girl have no personal repercussions for staying up while the rest of the world is fast asleep? Do her friends hate that she can never go out on a Friday night cause she’s beat from her shift at the 24 hour cafe? Will Asami ever find answers to these questions?

Asami pulls into the _Earth, Wind, and Coffee_ parking lot past midnight. There are a few more cars than last week and inside the cafe are a small group of people. They don’t appear to be staying long, hovering around the register and pick-up area for to-go orders. Asami enters and is met with roaring laughter. She finds Korra but can’t see her face, she’s making drinks. Asami looks at the group, she’s seen a few of them before, noticing one boy in particular. Iroh also goes to Republic City University, he was in Asami’s statistics class last semester. Thankfully, he doesn’t notice Asami. He’d been trying his hardest to get the girl’s attention in the class: tossing crumpled paper her way, whisper-shouting her name when the professor wasn't paying attention, getting to class early and leaving notes on her desk. She didn’t appreciate the gestures, having heard how he talked about himself in class the first day. He was boasting about his status as the Firelord’s son, his soccer scholarship, how many connections he has, all the possibilities for his future: taking the throne, becoming a soccer star, pursuing a business career with his degree. The countless recounting of these points makes Asami upturn her nose; she doesn’t like self-righteous people. 

She thought she’d seen the last of him after the class ended. It was a relief to take the final and walk out of the lecture room, free of his antics. However, just a few months ago, Asami walked into the Future Industries conference room to see Iroh shaking hands with her father. He’s stayed rather civil in the workplace, but she’s had to deny him the many drinks he’s offered for her. The work environment has become less than desirable but she persists despite it.

Asami sees who’s with him, more of her fellow classmates. She knows of the two brothers, Mako and Bolin, they’re both on the soccer team with Iroh. Opal Beifong is with them, Asami has met her mother but only seen Opal in passing at Future Industries events. Tahno is with them as well, another member on the soccer team, though Asami could do without knowing him, being as much of a narcissist as Iroh. She, however, can’t have too big an opinion of his crew: she’s only interacted with them a few times and they were rather nice. She wonders how they put up with Iroh and Tahno.

Korra finishes their drinks, placing the five cups on the counter. She also grabs a few bags of baked goods and places them down as well. She doesn’t watch as they take their drinks, only cleaning the counter space before walking towards the back room. As Iroh and his group leaves, he spots Asami waiting by the register. He gives her a wink as he walks out the door. Rolling her eyes, Asami tries to look into the back room to see where Korra is. The girl comes back out, her eyes finding Asami’s. She swears she can see the corner of Korra’s lip turn upwards but before she can really tell, Korra lets her head fall and places down the bag of coffee beans. She walks up to the register.

“Welcome back,” her voice sounds happier than last week. Asami smiles, “Need another minute to decide?”

“Can you pick a drink for me again?” Asami asks, “I like anything, really.” She watches Korra nod, she sees the girl thinking. “For here, please.”

Korra walks away from the register and Asami gets the same table. She gets her usual set-up together, this time also pulling out a tablet and stylus pen. She doesn’t want to do too much more of the presentation until the sketches are done for blueprints so she’s scanned the mediocre sketches onto her tablet, hoping a drawing app would help with the imperfections.

Asami hears footsteps approaching and sees another wide mug in Korra’s hands. She places down a coaster and the drink, “This is Aang’s Special, it is an egg coffee. We use a dark roast, and then it’s egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, and a little sugar. It’s another best seller.”

“Wow, I’ve never had eggs in my coffee before,” Asami brings the mug up to her mouth and takes a sip. It’s creamy and rich, with just the right amount of sweetness. She smiles, placing it back down, “Do you know a lot about coffee?”

Korra shrugs, “I just know the menu. Enjoy.”

Korra leaves, her navy hoodie is riding up in the back, Asami can see a white tee shirt underneath. Is it wrong if she wishes she could unveil that sight?

Asami finishes the first cup and walks over to the counter. She has the mug and coaster in hand, watching as Korra organizes the flavored syrups. Asami clears her throat and gets Korra’s attention.

She walks up to her, “You didn’t need to bring that over, I could’ve gotten it.”

Asami waves a hand, “It’s no problem. Anything to make your shift a little easier on you.” Asami traces some lines on the counter, her eyes following her fingertips, “I can’t imagine working these kinds of hours.”

“Aren’t you kind of doing work at this hour?” Korra points over to her table and Asami turns around. She blushes, passing the mug and coaster over to her. When she hears the girl take a deep breath, Asami finally brings her eyes up.

Korra's eyes are big, the blues are even more piercing than Asami remembers. They’re dark, almost blending in with the black of her iris. She looks tired, though Asami isn’t surprised. She looks down again, unable to contain how those eyes make her feel.

“You’re very right that I am doing work,” Asami starts, unsure of where she’s going with her drabble, “but I get to leave soon, once I feel I’ve done a suitable amount of my project. You have to stay here.”

The blue-eyed girl pouts lightly, “It’s not the worst to be here. It’s quiet, not many people pass through.” Their eyes meet and the corner of Korra’s lips twitch, “I don’t have to deal with any coworkers, Raava knows small talk is not my strong suit.”

“Then what’s this?” Asami asks, wanting to see Korra’s lip upturn fully.

Then, as if the Spirits heard her, Korra puts on a (small) grin and looks away slightly, “Just talking, I guess.”

She brings her eyes down. She takes the mug and coaster and walks over to the sink. Asami stands at the counter for a second longer before sighing, walking back to her seat, content. She’s still struggling with the sketches. The feeling burns in her mind, how she wants, _needs_ , this to be everything and more. Even with the help of the app, she knows they won’t suffice.

Korra has been cleaning up, sweeping the floor and wiping the tables. She brought over a chai tea for Asami at one point, saying she gets one free drink as an employee and she wasn’t in the mood for anything. Now, just before two in the morning, Korra stops at her table to get the mug when she sees the physical copies of Asami’s sketches.

“What’s this?” she asks, pointing. She only picks it up after Asami looks between her and her finger and nods.

“It’s _supposed_ to be some motorcycle designs.”

Korra pulls out one seat, eyes on the drawing, “A couple different ones?”

Asami brings her attention back to the tablet, “Yeah, Future Industries is doing a great job with our cars and race cars, but professional motorcycle racing has started popping up more and I thought it’d be good to lean into that area of automotives.”

She looks over, realizing Korra has taken her pencil and is drawing. The girl is hunched over, the tip of her tongue sticking out, and she’s erasing and writing. Asami watches as the deer antlers turn into handles, as the conch shells turn into engines, as the eyeball turns into a headlight. Her mouth opens slightly, looking almost inviting for any nearby flies.

“How’s this?” Korra asks, placing the new sketch in front of her. Asami looks over the drawing, glad to see that her vision could be achieved on paper. “Wait, did you say Future Industries?”

Asami looks over at the girl and laughs, “Maybe _you_ need a little caffeine to wake up that brain of yours.” She continues looking over the front page and smiles, “You really fixed these up. Wanna do that with the rest of them?”

“Okay.”

Asami stops, shaking her head, “No, Korra, I, I was just joking.”

“Well, I wasn’t,” she responds, fishing through the rest of the other sketches. “Though, I think I’d like doing these more if I got to know _who_ I was drawing them for.”

Asami ponders the sentence for a moment, realizing, “Oh, Korra, I’m sorry. I’m Asami.”

Korra nods, “Okay, well, _Asami_ , I can get these done for you. I think I can tell what you’re going for in all of them.” She shuffles the papers together, “Can I bend these?” Asami nods. “Do you want color, does that go into sketches?”

Asami grins, “Color would be great. Reds and blacks are good.”

Korra pouts, “I’ll let you know, blue is my color.” Asami giggles and sees Korra’s eyes light up for a second, “I can do reds and blacks. Same time next week?”

Asami smiles wide and nods. She begins cleaning up her things as Korra walks away with the mug in hand and sketches in her apron. Asami glances over at Korra, watching as she lifts the bag of coffee to pour in the grinder. She walks up to the counter, leaning over it slightly.

“So, what time do you get to leave, anyways?”

Korra softly grunts, letting the bag of beans even out before placing them on the ground. “Five.”

Asami checks her watch and sees the time is just past two thirty. “My condolences, I hope the last few hours go by fast.”

Korra nods, looking at the ground, “Have a good week.”

Asami tries to find Korra’s eyes, but she keeps them towards the floor. Asami quietly sighs, “Thank you, Korra. You too.”

She walks out to her car and watches Korra once more. Asami can see how tense she is, her shoulders are pushed back too far, as if Korra is trying to be more: more confident, more in charge, more in control. Korra turns around and her eyes find Asami sitting in her car. She waves. Asami blushes lightly and waves back, starting her car and leaving.

* * *

“So, do you work at Future Industries or something?” Korra asks as Asami looks through each new updated sketch.

Korra had done a great job of fixing what Asami originally created. The color scheme is perfect, following the usual Future Industries standards. Though, one of them has a black body with blue highlights and Asami finds herself enjoying that motorbike more than the others.

She sighs, looking up at Korra, “Kind of.” She looks between the ocean blue eyes in front of her, wondering if she’s really going to do this.

At school, once everyone found out Asami was related to CEO Hiroshi Sato, one of two things happened: they tried to take advantage of her wealth or they assumed she was some high class, prissy bitch. It’s part of the reason why Asami doesn’t have many friends. She could never tell if someone was being genuine or trying to get the latest Satomobile for half price (A girl named Ginger really tried to do this). It’s easier to avoid people all together than play some guessing game where Asami could really lose: lose some pride, lose some self respect, lose someone she could start to truly care about.

However, the look in Korra’s eyes makes Asami waver. The cool ocean blues are peaceful, almost eager to hear the elaboration about to leave Asami’s mouth. She wonders, if she tells Korra, what will happen? Will the girl prove to be like everyone else? _No._

“My father is Hiroshi Sato.”

Korra’s lips part, nodding.

Asami grows nervous, unsure of what the look in her eyes means now. She’s so anxious she starts rambling, “I’ve been working on a presentation I’m gonna give in a few weeks. It’s gonna be in front of a few pivotal investors so it has to be amazing. My dad’s always wanted me to have a part in the company, and I thought it might be as his successor, but for as long as I’ve been working with him, I’ve always been sidelined. I’ve gone on more coffee runs than helping my father with his duties as CEO and I finally have a chance to show him that I can be so much more for the company.”

Korra’s head has not stopped bobbing up and down. Asami can’t get a read on what’s going through Korra’s mind. Before she can open her mouth again from fear of losing the girl who might be her only real friend as of late, Korra says, “You should probably practice then. Do you have everything ready?”

Asami watches as Korra grabs a binder and flips through the pages. She starts shaking her head, “All right, I’m sorry, but what the hell does this say? I have chicken scratch for handwriting but this is a real contender for taking the _Bad Handwriting_ trophy.”

Asami snatches the binder, her jaw dropping lightly, “First of all, _rude_. Second of all, _this_ binder has all of my sloppy notes. Sometimes I get ideas but I don’t have enough time to flesh them out fully so I jot them down fast.” She grabs the binder to the right of her and places it in front of Korra, “ _That_ binder is the neat one.”

Though it’s quiet, she hears Korra snicker, it’s the closest thing Asami has heard to a laugh. It makes her happy to see Korra happier. Today is the first time Asami has seen Korra smile. It wasn’t full as it could be, Asami just knows, but the lopsided smile is one she wants to see again. Korra smiled when Asami came in, asking if she’d want her to pick her drink again. Korra gave her Momo's Moon Peach Iced Tea and Sokka’s Cactus Juice, a carbonated version of a cherry-berry lemonade made with (very safe and drinkable) cactus water. After Asami finalized the basic points of her slides, and Korra finished restocking the sugar packet station, Korra showed her the sketches.

“Wow, so you even want Future Industries motorcycle _gear_? A jumpsuit sounds cool,” Korra says. Her finger follows under each word she reads, “Sponsoring a racer, doesn’t that mean you’d be _paying_ someone else? Don’t you guys want money?”

Asami shakes her head, “Sponsoring gets our name out there. If we represent a racer who wins an upcoming race, fans will want to be just like that racer. And how will they do that, you may ask? By buying the matching Future Industries helmets, jumpsuits, leather jackets, gloves, goggles, the works.” She fishes through her computer’s files, opening the folder titled BIG PRESENTATION!! She shows Korra the designs she’s made, highlighting the Future Industries logo. “Stickers, patches, pins, even some little fuzzy dice you can hang off a rear view mirror. To make money, you have to spend some first.”

Korra nods, “They teach you that in school?”

Asami chuckles, “Yes, actually, but it’s also something I’ve known for a long time from my father.” She notices how the moonlight peaking into the window highlights the baby blues across from her. “Are you in school?”

Korra lets out a sharp chuckle, “No. I was never much of a _scholar_.”

“So, you just work, all the time?”

Korra shrugs, “I’m here Mondays to Fridays, nine to five. It’s just been the routine since I moved here, nothing else really.”

“Where did you move from?”

“South Pole.” She takes a deep breath, “Was looking for a change, something different. My parents were all for it. I know the owner,” she points to the counter, “he’s a family friend. Tenzin was kind enough to give me the job so I could find my footing in the city.” Korra’s eyebrows furrow, “What about you? All I’ve ever seen you do work, all you ever talk about is work, you think you’re in a place to ask a question like that?”

Asami blushes, unable to stop the smile that grows on her face, “I do believe I can ask any questions to get to know you.”

Korra’s eyes flash at the statement. They quickly shift back down to the computer, as she looks through the rest of the memorabilia Asami has created. They don’t talk for a while, Korra looking at the laptop, Asami looking at Korra looking at the laptop. She enjoys the way Korra’s hair rests right under her chin, how there’s one out of place hair in her side bangs. Asami wonders how she deals with it, the way it rests right in between her eyebrows. The girl never pushes it away, fixing it to conform with the others. Asami, the more she looks, enjoys it.

“Your friends in the South miss you?” Asami asks, “They must be so sad you moved.”

“They would be,” Korra says. She speaks quieter, “If I had any.” The smile once on Asami’s face has turned into a frown. “I didn’t really grow up with people around my age. Just my parents and some of the people they worked with. We didn’t travel much either, so it was usually just me and Naga. That’s my dog.”

“Well, surely you’ve made friends here?” Asami asks. “It’s a big city, and there’s so much to do, you’ve most certainly spent some weekends out?”

Korra lets out a weak chuckle, a small grin forming on her face. “You’re giving me too much credit, Sato.” She shakes her head, “I don’t really know how to make friends. But, you know, I get it, you asking me why. I’m sure all your friends have to fight over your time so you can hang out with all of them.”

“Well now, you’re the one giving me too much credit.”

Asami can’t even say her own father is her friend. After her mother died when she was 10, he poured himself into his work. Asami sometimes wonders if that’s why she’s so intent on joining the Future Industries company. She never ponders the thought for too long.

Korra insists she’s right, that Asami has friends lined out the door, and refuses to believe otherwise. Only until Asami shows the girl her contact list does Korra know she’s wrong. The girl takes her own phone out, just to show that she still has Asami beat with the least amount of contacts. (Asami has her father, her father’s body guard Kuvira, her father’s assistant, and her lab partners. Korra has her mom, her dad, and Tenzin.) She takes Korra’s phone, smiling to herself as she types in her name and phone number.

“Right at the top, as I should be,” she sings, giving the phone back.

Korra lets out a chuckle and texts Asami. She looks at the time on her phone, “It’s getting a little late, you should practice next time.”

It’s 2:44 and Asami knows she should be going to sleep soon. She, sadly, packs up and Korra walks her to the door. The two hold eye contact for a few seconds before Korra holds the door open for her. Asami doesn’t know what to thank for Korra’s happier mood as of late, but part of her would like to think it’s because of her. She checks her phone, to see the text message Korra sent.

_It’s your friend, Korra._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [wanna read my analysis for chapter one? do it here!](https://riceccakes.tumblr.com/post/635532925083009024/earth-wind-and-coffee-chapter-one-analysis)  
> big shout out to @bisexualyoda for showing me how to link stuff all cool like that :)


	2. Makeshift Boardrooms, Home Life, and a Turn of Events

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for all the love the first chapter received! enjoy the next chapter, it's twice as long as the first one but i really love how it's turned out. i appreciate all comments, all kudos, everything. :)

Hiroshi has been out on business, traveling through the Earth Kingdom, doing his regular rounds of spreading good news and baiting potential deals for Future Industries. Asami always wants to join him, her professors would understand, she could make it work, but Hiroshi always waves the thought.

Asami waits at the train station in Republic City as she always does when her father returns from business trips. She sits on a bench, looking at the scans of Korra’s fixed sketches on her tablet. She wants to show her father, (to know if her idea is a good one, good enough for him,) but she wants to surprise him, (to show him that her ideas _are_ good, period.) She pastes them into the PowerPoint and places them where they need to go, glancing up when she hears the next train arriving.

She puts her tablet in her bag and stands up, walking to be a few feet in front of the doors. She waits as people exit, families, groups of teens, other business men and women, before spotting her father and Kuvira. She grins, waiting for the two to walk up to her. Hiroshi greets her with a kiss on the cheek and continues walking; Asami hadn’t noticed the phone when he exited his trolley car.

“Apparently, he’s trying to pull some strings with a conference that’s meeting in the Fire Nation soon,” Kuvira says. Asami takes one of the bags from her hands and she sees how grateful the bodyguard is. “Been on the phone for a while.”

“Yes, well,” Asami and Kuvira begin walking towards the car arranged to pick them up, “my father is nothing if not a determined CEO.”

“You would’ve liked this trip around the Earth Kingdom,” Kuvira says. Hiroshi is already sitting in the front seat of the Satomobile. She places the bag she holds in the trunk and places her hand out to Asami for the other one. “We stopped in Zaofu, talked about metals. You’d appreciate the architecture there.”

“Maybe one day,” Asami says, sitting in the back seat.

She pulls out her phone, seeing a text from Korra. Since receiving each other's numbers, the two have been texting, though Asami can tell it’s not Korra’s strong suit, even admitting at one point if she ever needs to talk to anyone she usually just calls. Korra, however, understands that Asami usually doesn’t have the time to be talking on the phone. She never says she understands this, but Asami knows she does. The blue eyed girl always answers back. (In complete sentences with proper punctuation and rare use of abbreviations, nonetheless.) 

_Korra: What time will you be at the cafe tomorrow?_

Kuvira peers over, Asami knows she’s interested since she’s rarely on her phone. Asami quickly types her reply before putting it away. Hiroshi has since finished his phone call but is already dialing someone else.

“Good trip, Dad?” Asami questions.

Hiroshi nods, giving her a thumbs up. He begins talking with one of his associates, bringing up the conference and potential coworkers to bring along. Kuvira nudges Asami, pulling out a segment of metal.

“From Zaofu,” Kuvira says. “Rhodium, your dad garnered a deal for the upcoming line of Satomobiles. It’ll--”

“Make the models sleeker. They’ll have a naturally glossier coat, that’ll be nice for the recreational show cars he plans to release.” Asami interjects, inspecting the piece of metal.

She would’ve enjoyed seeing the negotiation process.

The rest of the car ride is only Hiroshi speaking on the phone. Occasionally, Kuvira tries to talk to Asami, asking her how she’s been since they were gone. Asami responds with bare answers, her ears are focused on the names being listed off by her father.

“Perhaps five or six of us could go, you and I already make up two, let’s see,” Hiroshi brings his hand up to his chin. “Oh yes, Raoshing. Shiro maybe? Has Kenzo ever traveled on business before? Of course Iroh will be coming, it would be rude to not bring him and his mother together for a bit.”

Asami winces. Since joining, Hiroshi has taken quite the liking to Iroh. He’s been at her father’s right hand in several meetings, running around the office for him, following up with high profile clients. Asami was beyond ecstatic when Hiroshi mentioned the investors meeting project and took it with open arms. Since then, she thought her father would be giving her more opportunities, but he’s yet to.

They arrive at the Sato mansion, Asami only plans to stay for a few hours. When Asami first enrolled in Republic City University, she wanted it to be on her own. She didn’t want to have to rely on her father any longer than she already had, she wanted to support herself like her father had a long time ago. Sure, her circumstances were a bit different from the poor family her father grew up with, but nonetheless, Asami wanted to see the world and build herself up in it, by herself. Surely, that would make Hiroshi see his daughter.

Asami enters the mansion she once called home, coming upon the last portrait of her family whole. She was only a young girl, she looks at her mother and smiles, resting a hand upon the canvas as she always does when she visits. Without another look, Hiroshi ventures to his home office, mumbling to himself about approaching the names he listed earlier with the idea of business travel. Kuvira takes off a majority of her armor, resting it on one of the seats in the common area. A maid comes and gathers the bags, Asami greets her with a warm smile and thanks her. She follows Kuvira into the kitchen and sits at one of the seats, watching as the woman makes herself a sandwich.

“Kuvira, do you miss Zaofu?”

Three years ago, at a gala hosted by Suyin Beifong, Hiroshi met Kuvira in the Zaofu guard. She was young at the time, only 22, but Hiroshi saw a potential he couldn’t quite put his finger on but knew he wanted her around. He offered her a job, as part of security at Future Industries, and not much later did she accept and move to Republic City. Asami briefly met Kuvira and liked her enough: she was good at her job, had a good work ethic, and took her position seriously. After a few months of working, Hiroshi promoted her to being his personal bodyguard. It was then Asami got to know her; if there is anyone out there who Asami _might_ think is her friend, she’d say Kuvira, but she is never sure. It’s her job to watch her father, and in some instances her. Their relationship must only be professional, but Asami can wish.

“I spent most of my childhood there,” Kuvira starts, lathering on mayonnaise to her slices of bread, “but it never really felt like home.”

“Would you call Republic City your home?”

Kuvira shrugs, slapping on some sliced meat and cheese, “Your father has surely been kind to me. My parents abandoned me as a child so I never had parents, would you be upset with me if I thought of Hiroshi as my dad too?”

Asami smiles, “That would make you my sister.”

Kuvira rolls her eyes. She offers the sandwich to Asami, who takes it. She can see a content look in Kuvira’s eyes.

“Do you still talk to anyone from Zaofu?” Asami asks after she takes a bite. She can see Kuvira tense up.

“No,” she drags the words as her knuckles grow white around the butter knife she holds. After a short breath, her skin returns to its normal color and she puts the knife down. “Why are you asking all these questions anyways, _sis_?”

Asami is quiet for a moment, twirling a piece of her hair, “Do you think I’ll ever be able to go to Zaofu? Like you did, with my dad? Do you think I’ll ever be able to go away on business?” Asami feels childish for asking, especially since Kuvira’s job has nothing to do with the business process. Yet, she knows no one else to ask, and even more so, if anyone would have an answer.

Kuvira stops, sighing, “I know you want to get out there, but I trust your dad. Plus, you’ve got that presentation coming up, so that’s a step in the right direction.”

Asami picks away at the crust on her sandwich, nodding to herself. She trusts her father too, he’s been a powerful man for years. He’s networked many others and helped get them up the ranks as well. Surely soon, Asami would be the next on that list. 

After about an hour, Hiroshi comes out of his office. He’s changed into his house robe and resides in the living room with a newspaper. Asami and Kuvira sit with him, though they both are watching TV. Asami can hear him grumbling to himself, no doubt reading about the current market and analyzing his next steps with the company. She wants to speak up, ask him what she can do, but the words never leave her mouth. There’s a lump in her throat and no matter how hard she gulps, it won’t go away.

She leaves soon after. She gives both Hiroshi and Kuvira gentle hugs, kissing her father’s cheek before walking to her car. She’d left it there before riding in the car provided for them. She drives to her apartment, tossing the keys into the glass bowl and plopping on the couch. She covers her eyes with her hands, letting out a long, aggravated sigh.

That night, Asami teaches Korra about emoticons. The blue eyed girl enjoys them far more than emojis and begins to use them in every other text she sends. Asami questions how she can be texting in the first place, she’s on the clock.

_Korra: Please, barely anyone passes through the store. And if they do, I can quickly put my phone away. It’s late though, you should get to sleep. Good night :)_

Asami checks the time, it’s midnight. She’s curled up in bed, wearing a baggy sweater and shorts, and she has her presentation in front of her. The design is basic but Asami wants to get all the information in there first before doing any of that. She’s finished her research about the investors coming, figuring a viable way to incorporate all their resources into her plans. She wants the motorcycles to be solely Sato, so she’s determined the companies’ involvements be more geared towards civilian sales and merchandise. Breathable silk material for the Future Industries racer jersey and leather made from gemsbok bull skin for leather jackets from the Ba Sing Se rep. Basic metals used for name plates and key chains from the Fire Fountain City rep. Perhaps a natural cosmetics line with the Kyoshi Island rep, depending on where their chosen racer is from, their color palette could incorporate Future Industries colors with that of their nation. 

She’s about to call it a night when her phone pings once more. She opens the message.

_Korra: Don’t come a second earlier than you told me you’d be coming, okay? I mean it. Goodnight again :)_

She falls asleep with a confused, but happy grin on her face, and wakes up with the same one. She follows through her usual day, coffee for breakfast, classes on campus, coffee with lunch, study group with her lab partners, all while still texting Korra. The blue eyed girl won’t let up. Asami’s asked many times why she can’t come any sooner, but Korra keeps her mouth shut.

_Asami: what if i’m a couple minutes early?_

_Korra: That’s not allowed, I told you that._

_Asami: what if it’s just by chance?_

_Korra: Then you close your eyes._

_Asami: close my eyes? korra, i’ll be driving._

_Korra: You can’t see it until it’s ready, and I’ll need every last second before midnight._

_Asami: it’s something i can look at?_

_Korra: >:| Stop asking questions. _

Asami’s cheeks hurt from smiling.

Her lab partners don’t ask about her rosy cheeks, or how she checks her phone constantly, or how she giggles to herself at how clearly she’s annoying Korra. Perhaps it’s for the best, Asami doesn’t really want to share this with anyone else right now. The friendship is just for her, it’s new light, new territory, and she wants to explore it, experience it just as she did when she moved out of the Sato mansion a few years ago.

Asami only drinks one coffee at night on Thursdays now, a black around 8pm. She’s found herself saving the second cup for when she sees Korra at the cafe. She’s been checking the clock while finalizing her first draft of the presentation, calculating the time she needs to leave her apartment to get to _Earth, Wind, and Coffee_ at exactly midnight in between talking points. She’s checked the traffic map at least fourteen times and calculated the average miles per hour she can travel to get there. She tried to take into account each traffic light, but she couldn’t figure out the schedule of changing lights she’d fall into.

She sees the clock and quickly gathers her (already prepared) things. She walks down the stairs to the apartment garage, seeing her calculations of how long it would take her to walk down the stairs and across the garage were slightly off. She starts her car, waiting exactly two minutes (to both warm up the car and account for the previous miscalculation) and finally starts driving.

Her eyes dart back and forth between the road and the clock in her car. She taps her fingers on the wheel, eager to know what Korra has in store for her. The girl has been nothing short of surprises, Asami can barely believe they text as much as they do when Korra works when she does. She doesn’t question it though, she loves talking to the girl and would do it even more if she could.

The streets are empty coming up to the cafe. She’s a few minutes ahead of schedule, booking it across some yellow lights out of anticipation of seeing the blue eyed girl. She cruises for the last few minutes, hoping no one sees how she’s aimlessly driving through the surrounding streets of the cafe. Finally, the time reads 11:59, and Asami speeds her way to the cafe. As she pulls into the parking lot, she sees the shutters closed with light peeking through. She sees some movement, a figure walks back and forth through the cafe, she can’t tell what they’re doing, but that navy blue sweater is as recognizable as her father’s pair of glasses; she’d know it anywhere.

Asami walks up to the door, seeing a note taped from the inside: _Please knock_. Korra wasn’t lying, it takes Asami’s three tries to understand ‘knock’. She tries to look in through the glass, but the shutters do a great job of shielding the inside. She lets out a small breath and places three knocks, taking a step back. She hears the lock click and Korra stands in her apron, smiling.

She pulls out her phone, looking at the time, “12:02, you’re late.”

“I was on time, thank you very much. You just took too long to come to the door.”

Korra rolls her eyes with a grin. Asami sees dark circles covered by mediocre makeup under her eyes. She would’ve asked a question had Korra not moved out of the way to reveal the coffee shop. 

“I’ve never been to Future Industries, but this is like the room my dad used to have meetings in with the shamans and guards from the Northern and Southern Water Tribes.” Korra says, her hands finding their way to fiddling behind her back. “If we’re going to practice, you should do it in the right space.”

Asami is speechless. Inside, the tables and chairs have been set up as if it’s a long boardroom, fit with the donuts in the center of the table no one can ever reach. At the far end, a projector screen is set up and a loading screen is displayed on it. Asami stares at the girl, unsure of how to convey how appreciative she is for the gesture.

“Korra…”

“I know,” she quickly speaks up, her fingers behind her back fidgeting even faster, “it’s a lot, but I thought you should get the best kind of practice! And, we hosted a movie night here a while back, I wasn’t sure if Tenzin left all the equipment here but I found it all in one of the cabinets in his office and I,” she’s looking at the ground now, “is it all right?”

“All right?” Asami questions, truly confused as to how Korra could say such a thing. She reaches out, slowly, gently, placing her hand on Korra. The girl’s hands fall to her sides, Asami’s fingertips slowly linger down from the bundled fabric of Korra’s rolled up sleeve to her forearm. She gives her a small squeeze, “This is _amazing_ , you really didn’t have to.”

Korra grins, “I wanted to.”

Asami smiles back, “Is that projector bluetooth?”

“Yeah, get set up and we’ll start. Oh, did you want me to pick a drink for you?”

* * *

In her dream, the sound of her phone going off was the music playing in the night club she was in. She was with Korra, standing at the bar, looking out towards the dance floor.

 _“Should we go out there?”_ she asks Korra, bringing her eyes to the blue ones she just adores.

_“No, but you should answer that.”_

And with that phrase, Asami rubs her eyes open and reaches out for her phone. She can barely see, finding the green answer button and pressing it.

“Hello?” she croaks, smacking her lips and shuddering at the taste.

“Hey, I’m sorry I woke you up,” Korra says on the other line.

Asami shoots up, finding the nearest clock and reading the time: 2:26 AM. Korra’s been talking but Asami hasn’t heard much of it, she’s been stumbling out of bed to her bathroom, wincing as she turns on the lights.

“Asami?”

She sniffles, leaning on her bathroom counter, “Hm?”

“Do you think you’re okay to meet me somewhere for a bit?”

Asami, even in her sleepy state, can’t seem to smile at the sound of Korra’s voice. It’s shaky, not at all how she sounded just a few days ago in the cafe. She begins to grow slightly worried. After agreeing, Korra tells her to go to the docks. She’d be waiting there for her.

She washes her face, finding a clean pair of leggings and a sweatshirt. She tries not to take long, her mind plays a million different scenarios in her head to explain Korra’s tone (and while she tries to push this one aside, a scene where Korra’s nervous because she doesn’t know how to ask her out finds its way to the forefront of her brain). (Her breath had hitched in her throat, when she heard Korra ask to meet her. Her worries, of course, came first and foremost, but another thought bounced around her head, one that was _far_ too raunchy, but given the time, was it really?)

Asami pulls into the parking lot, wishing she’d been more awake to have the smarts to ask where exactly Korra is. She doesn’t have to walk far, finding the girl sitting on the edge of the concrete, feet hanging over the ledge. Asami sits down next to Korra, looking at Yue Bay in the moonlit sky.

Korra’s head is slightly down, though when she finally turns, the bags under her eyes are more prominent than the few days ago.

“Sorry again, that I woke you up,” her voice is flat, like the first time Asami met her, “but, thanks for coming.”

She’s slouched over, hands in the pockets of her jacket. She looks at her feet, moving them as they dangle above the water. Asami can see how flushed she is, she’s sure Korra has been crying. She isn’t sure of what to say, what to do, so she follows Korra’s lead and looks out on the water.

“That’s where Tenzin lives,” Korra points to Air Temple Island. The lights are off, it stands tall and sovereign. “Kind of reminds me of him, he can be a bit stiff.”

Asami nods. She’d never been to Air Temple Island, only seeing it in passing when she’d stop at the docks to overwatch the exchange of Future Industries shipments from cargo ships to delivery trucks.

“I stayed there for a while, when I first moved to Republic City,” she continues. “They were so sweet, taking care of me. The girls, Jinora and Ikki, Tenzin’s kids, were so psyched to have a _big sister_ around, and Meelo, his son, was glad to finally have equal teams to play games. Pema, Tenzin’s wife, was glad to have another adult around to look after Rohan, he’s their youngest.”

She lets out a chuckle, and usually Asami would be smiling at the sound, though it doesn’t sound right. It sounds forced, as if for show, and Asami knows now the girl is trying to be stronger than she is. They stay silent, letting the rippling waves fill their ears. The city feels so still at this hour, Asami has never experienced it before. She watches as Korra slowly picks herself up, straightening her back until she’s sitting tall. She sniffles one last time before turning to Asami and grinning.

Asami shakes her head, “You’re not like most people, huh.”

Korra tilts her head, “What do you mean?”

Asami shrugs, unsure of how to say it, “Well, Korra, you called me at 2 o’clock in the morning asking to see me, and around this time of the night, it’s, you know,” Korra stares blankly and Asami sighs. “Do you know what a booty call is?”

At the sound of the sentence, Korra suddenly becomes red. She stammers out a few words, Asami laughs lightly, “I, I didn’t realize, I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to mean that, I--”

“It’s okay,” Asami assures her, gently placing her hand on the girl’s for a moment too long. (She’d been hoping to feel Korra’s skin again, feel the warmth her body radiated.) “I wouldn’t want you any other way.”

They’re silent again, looking across Yue Bay as the moon glistens across the gentle waves. Asami wraps her arms around herself and suddenly feels a jacket being placed on her. She looks at Korra, who nods with a grin. Asami blushes, putting her arms through the sleeves. She takes a deep breath and it smells like Korra.

“I wish I could’ve been there for them like how they wanted, but when I moved here I was such a mess.” She lets out a shaky breath, pausing for a few moments, “I was in an accident.” 

Korra keeps her eyes on the water. Asami looks at her, unsure of where the conversation is going but wanting to hear more. 

“My dad’s a pretty big deal in the Southern Water Tribe, he’s chief. He’s really good at his job but my uncle in the North didn’t like having to share the chiefdom between tribes, so he sent this group,” she sighs, shaking her head, “the Red Lotus, some kind of hitmen? I don’t even know what they’re deal is, but anyways, my uncle sent them to try and kill my dad.” Her hand grips the dock and begins to turn white, “They were close, a couple times, but our guards and my dad were able to stop three of them. The fourth one, their leader, tried one more time but he took a different approach.”

Korra’s voice falls off at the end of the sentence and Asami places her hand on Korra’s shoulder while the girl shuts her eyes.

“I was sleeping and he broke into my room and took me,” her voice breaks and Asami takes hold of her hand. “I tried to fight but he injected me with something, healers said it was something like a tranquilizer for bears. Luckily, Zaheer hadn’t gotten too far when my dad and the guards caught him. The healers stayed with me until I could feel my body again.” Korra stares out on the bay once more, taking a deep breath, “I have trouble sleeping at night now. Zaheer is locked up Raava knows where, but I don’t know, I just can’t seem to sleep much.”

Korra meets Asami’s eyes and grins lightly, “It’s why I’m always up, why I work the hours I do at the cafe..”

Asami nods. She’s about to speak when she sees Korra’s grin falter, sees the girls’ eyes turn dangerously dark.

“I’m so tired, Asami,” she whispers, leaning into Asami’s shoulder. Asami can hear her begin to cry and she instantly wraps the girl up in her arms. “I’m so tired.”

“Korra, honey,” Asami starts, unsure of where the name came from. She rubs Korra’s back, letting the girl feel her feelings. Once it seems Korra is starting to let up, Asami continues, “I had no idea you went through any of that, I’m so sorry.” She pulls away slightly, so she can look at her friend’s face. She wipes away the tears on Korra’s cheeks, “Have you seen the kids since moving off the island?”

Korra shakes her head, “I haven’t gotten around to seeing them again, I wasn’t that good of a house guest when I was first there, I’m not sure they’ll wanna see me again.”

“Nonsense,” Asami sings, fixing Korra’s hair. She pushes it out of her face, being sure not to touch the strand that rests in between her eyebrows, “who wouldn’t want you around?”

Korra laughs, this time genuinely, this time it’s the laugh that Asami can really smile about.

“If you don’t want to be alone, why don’t you come over and we can hang out there.” Asami suggests, tugging at the jacket Korra’s given her, “Plus, I’m cold, and I do have work in the morning.”

Korra smiles, the corner of her mouth upturning, it’s the widest smile Asami has ever seen. She swoons, hoping it’s not too noticeable, digging her face into the collar of the jacket. Korra jumps up, presenting her hands to Asami. She lifts the girl up, almost too easily, and they begin walking back to the parking lot.

“Where did you park? Just follow me out.”

Korra laughs, “Oh, no, I don’t drive. I never learned. Satomobiles are great but they’re not really suitable for the snowy, icy terrain that is the Southern Water Tribe. I walked here.”

“Oh, well, then let’s go.”

During the drive, Korra looks out the window. Asami can see her breath repeatedly fog up a small area, made both by her nose and her mouth. She smiles, she breathes in and smells Korra, the warm scent of vanilla and the sad smell of sea salt. She didn’t expect their meeting to be this, though she doesn’t find herself complaining. Something as traumatic as that, surely Korra told her because she trusts her, and she’s never had someone trust her like that. She wonders if she should return the favor, open up about one of her previous life altering events, but she’s already had the conversation about her mother with her therapist; it’s not something she’s living through now. Unlike Korra, she’s already healed from her pain. Asami hopes she can help the girl in any way, even if it’s small.

They arrive at Asami’s apartment, Korra stays close to her. Asami wishes the space were less, even though they basically walk as if they’re attached at the hip. She unlocks her door and places the keys in the glass bowl. The lights flicker on, it’s not much, but Asami got it all on her own. She makes her way to the kitchen, taking out a water bottle and giving it to Korra. They sit on the couch, Asami’s eyes already fluttering.

“You said you have work in the morning? What time?” Korra questions, placing the unopened bottle on the coffee table.

Asami yawns, quite loudly, “I usually get up at six to be at the office at seven.”

“Sheesh, and Mondays are already bad, work at seven o’clock in the morning?”

Asami leans her head on the edge of the couch, fighting her eyes to stay open, “It’s okay, I stay for five hours and then get a break before my classes.”

“Asami, it’s past 3, you should get to sleep.”

She whimpers, switching between the sight of Korra and darkness, “What about you? Have you tried to sleep?” Her eyes close for a few seconds, she thinks it’ll be all right to indulge a bit, “When was the last time you slept?”

Korra sighs, “I get a few hours...not all at once. I’m okay, but you should really sleep, you have priorities.”

Asami tries to answer but her body has fully sunk into the couch. It’s soft, and Korra’s jacket, while a bit too short for her, feels like a warm hug. She wonders what it’s like to hug Korra, to have her fingers intertwined with hers. She got to wrap her arms around Korra, and though the girl was unable to return the favor, Asami hadn’t enjoyed having someone so close before. She got to hold her hand earlier and they were the warmest hands she’d ever felt, she would love them pressed to her cheeks. She feels the couch shift, Korra must’ve gotten up. She’s trying to protest, trying to make her body get up so she can stay with Korra. 

Instead, she hears her alarm go off. She picks her head up, pulling her arm out from under the blanket over her; Korra must’ve put it on her. She looks around, there’s no sight of the girl, _maybe she’s in the bathroom?_ Asami doesn’t remember much, no, Asami doesn’t remember anything after sitting on the couch. She stops her alarm and calls out Korra’s name, being met with nothing but silence.

She sits up, noticing a handful of napkins next to the water bottle she gave Korra. (It’s still unopened.) She picks them up, finding herself smiling and chuckling. Korra has left numerous little drawings: a self-portrait, her dog, the Future Industries logo. One napkin has writing on it, with neat handwriting this time, and is a conversation between them.

_You: The mushroom patch._

_Me: We’ll put the racers in a mushroom patch?_

_You: Yes._

_Me: We’ll put motorcycle racers in a mushroom patch, and they’ll race around that?_

_You: Yes._

_Did you know you talk in your sleep?_

Asami brings her palm to her forehead, embarrassed beyond belief for that event. She gets to the last napkin and at the top is Korra’s handwriting, _hope this one’s okay_. It’s of her: sleeping, hair a mess, drool peeking out of her mouth, curled up in a small ball, wrapped in Korra’s jacket.

Korra’s jacket.

She looks at her arms, seeing the dark navy fabric of the coat Korra had given her last night. She sighs, bringing the collar close to her face once more and taking a deep breath, again smelling that warm vanilla and sad sea salt. She wishes she could’ve seen Korra when she woke up, she didn’t even get to say goodbye. She reaches for her phone to text the girl but notices she’s taken longer than she’s realized and needs to be ready for work.

Luckily, Asami doesn’t need to do much, she’s already prepared both her work bag and school bag, packed a lunch for herself, and laid out her outfit for that day. She gets up and goes to the kitchen, making her cup of coffee first, pulling out her thermos as well. After it starts, she walks to her bedroom and takes the clothes hanging off the door. She strips and walks into the bathroom, washing her face, putting on her clothes, then doing simple makeup and fixing her hair. Once she’s finishing applying her cherry red lipstick, and pulling her hair back in a loose ponytail, she gets to the kitchen, pours her coffee into the thermos, and heads out the door with her bags, wasting no time down the stairs. She starts her car, taking one sip from her thermos before grinning and driving to work.

She arrives on time, not a minute late. She’s walking in with a few of her coworkers, they greet each other and make small conversation about Mondays being the worst as they swipe their company cards to enter the tower. The Monday comments make her think of Korra and she can feel her stomach rave with butterflies.

“Good morning, Kasuki,” Asami chimes as she exits the elevator to her floor.

The receptionist looks up from her computer, pushing up her glasses with a smile, “Good morning, Asami.” She pulls out a handful of files, “Koshiro would like you to organize these within our catalogs today.”

Asami picks up the stack, “Barely in the door and I’ve already got work. At least let me sit at my desk first.”

Kasuki chuckles, “I’ll cover for you if Koshiro asks about your whereabouts.”

“Thank you, Kasuki.” Asami leaves towards her desk, placing the stack down on the designated space for work requests. She pulls her chair out, placing her work bag next to her and thermos on the coaster she leaves for herself. She quickly logs into her computer, gazing through the files she has today. She’ll need to finish the marketing design for the upcoming release of Future Industries ads, so she keeps these set aside for later. 

Asami receives a phone call and lets it ring for a moment before placing it between her ear and shoulder, “Asami Sato speaking.”

“Can we get you in the breakroom again? The microwave is acting up and I really need my breakfast burrito if I’m going to be able to make it through the day.”

Asami chuckles, “Good morning to you too, Hinata. Just give me a couple minutes, is there still a tool box under the sink?”

“I think so?” Asami hears the phone hit the wall for a second, Hinata releases a string of curse words, but quickly returns, “No, actually. I guess maintenance finally realized they were missing some hardware.”

“That’s fine, I’ve got my set with me.”

Asami hangs up the phone, taking another gulp of her coffee. Asami reaches into her bag and pulls out a small pouch, it holds some mini tools, perfect for quick fixes. She ventures out of her cubicle area and walks towards the other side of the floor. She passes the reception’s desk and tries to speed away when she sees Iroh leaning on the table. He quickly catches up with her.

“Asami!” He grabs her arm and Asami gently pulls away, unfortunately stopped by him.

“Good morning, Iroh.”

“How about tonight?” Iroh takes a step forward, to which Asami takes one back.

“I really don’t think I can, I’ve still got class later today.”

He groans, “I have been asking for this drink for weeks now, you’re really still going to tell me you can’t?”

As if by magic, Hinata walks out of the breakroom and looks down the hallway, calling out Asami’s name. She apologizes and quickly excuses herself, sprinting to her savior of a coworker. As she leaves, she can hear Iroh scoff, though she’s not sure of his mumbling. She makes small conversation with Hinata, they ask about each other’s weekends and how their mornings are going. 

After fixing the microwave, Asami cautiously steps out of the breakroom and begins to venture back to her desk. The rest of the day goes by fairly easily: Asami follows up with her emails, files those papers for Koshiro, runs into other coworkers and has pleasant conversations with each.

During her lunch, she leaves her floor. Most of her coworkers eat together in the breakroom but she’s never felt she can join them. She’s heard their laughter, the roar of conversation, and knows that if the daughter of the CEO walked in, it would abruptly stop. Instead, she travels to the top floor and greets her father’s assistant, Ming, with a smile. She ventures over to Kuvira, finding her at her little post outside her father’s office. They eat lunch together, speaking of her father’s schedule while talking about the upcoming presentation as well. Kuvira questions how it’s going, if she feels prepared or not.

“Well, I am definitely feeling better after my few test runs with Korra,” she says absentmindedly. She’s happy to say the girl’s name, happy to feel the consonants form in her mouth, happy to let the vowels sing out in the room.

“Who’s Korra?” Kuvira questions, putting down her food.

Asami sits up, realizing she hasn’t told anyone about her newfound friendship and resolves to still not let anyone else know, “Oh, um, no one.”

Kuvira pushes forward, “I don’t know a Korra in this building, I’m pretty sure we don’t have one. Who is she, the person that’s kept you occupied on your phone whenever I see you?”

Asami blushes, had she really been that bad at masking her phone use? She decides to play dumb, “Hm, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Sure, sure,” Kuvira lets out a dry chuckle. “The past couple weeks, all I’ve seen is you on that phone, and unless you made some business deal in your spare time, it has to be _somebody._ ” Asami watches as Kuvira lets out a breath, leaning her head on the back of her chair, “I think this’ll be...good for you...having someone else around. I know I haven’t really seen you with any...friends, so this is...good.”

Asami stares at the girl, trying to hold back her amusement, but as the two hold eye contact, they let out their laughter. Kuvira quickly spits out that this type of conversation isn’t her strong suit and that Asami should not hold it against her. Now, with Korra again at the forefront of her mind, she checks her phone to see if the girl has texted her.

She hasn’t.

Asami can only hope it’s because she was able to get a couple hours of sleep.

Hiroshi exits his office, his eyes widen in surprise at seeing his daughter. He says hello to her, kissing the top of her head and telling Kuvira it’s time to leave for his twelve o’clock meeting. Asami stays at Kuvira’s desk for a few moments longer, checking her phone again to see if Korra’s texted. She still hasn’t and this second time, Asami can feel her body tense up. She lets an uneasy breath out, convincing herself once more that Korra is thankfully sleeping.

The rest of Asami’s day goes as planned: she finishes her shift, she attends her classes, she does her homework, all while having her cups of coffee.

Korra had texted her a couple times, though the conversations were flat. She was taking longer to respond with shorter messages. That night, Korra had barely said anything to her. Asami knew she was working, but so many times before, Korra had been blowing up her phone even though she was at the cafe. Now, it feels like a slap to the face and Asami doesn’t understand what’s caused it.

At midnight, as Asami is drifting off to sleep, her phone goes off.

_Korra: Good night, sleep well. x_

* * *

When Asami went to _Earth, Wind, and Coffee_ that Thursday, Korra seemed fine. In the days leading up to their usual meeting, Korra’s texting started to return to normal, though the response time lengthened minute after minute, her responses were longer and more well-thought out. Their evening went as it did the week before. Asami ran through her presentation multiple times, finally achieving the ability to not even need to look at the slides to know what to be talking about. She gave Korra one of the info binders she’d made so that her coworkers could more easily follow along, and Korra indulged in any questions that came to mind. She made her a couple drinks and still somehow found a way to not make Asami pay. While Asami could tell Korra was still struggling, the efforts the girl made to be there for Asami were comforting, a new familiarity Asami has gotten and never wants to forget.

With less than a week until the presentation, Asami feels her heart in her throat. She’s terrified, and while she’s recited her PowerPoint forwards and backwards, a feeling of impending doom sits on her shoulders. She sits in her living room, legs curled up on the couch while she scrolls through each slide for spelling errors. As she scrolls, she feels her hands shake, her feet are cold, her mouth is dry, she just wants to relax and everything about her home makes her think of how hard she’s worked to show her father that she’s lived up to the Sato name.

She just wants to breathe.

Her phone goes off with another text message from Korra. Asami introduced the idea of having a bit of a celebration after the presentation.

_Korra: Ok._

Asami takes a deep breath, fighting with her chest to allow more air to get in, and dials Korra’s number. The phone rings a few times, Asami now sits up, chewing at the dry skin on her bottom lip.

“Uh, hi.” Korra’s voice is soft.

“Hi,” Asami returns, finally feeling her chest fully swell, “I know it’s not a Thursday but would you mind if I came over?” Her tongue instantly runs dry and she desperately tries to swallow, “Just, since, you know, you can’t drive, but I can, so I can just come over to your place. It’s...easiest.”

Asami shuts her eyes, cursing herself out, listening to Korra’s breathing on the other line.

“Yeah, you can come over, I guess.” Korra’s voice is flatter than when they first met. “I’ll text you my address.”

And with that, the phone call ends.

Asami gathers everything she thinks she’ll need while visiting Korra: her wallet, her keys, her new favorite jacket, Korra’s jacket. Even after bringing it to the cafe, Korra insisted the girl keep it. She grabs a purse and slides her tablet in there, thinking she might go over the talking points again with Korra.

She arrives at the apartment, it isn’t too far from the cafe, though Asami assumes this isn’t a coincidence. She presses the call button amongst all the other apartments in the building and pushes open the door when she hears it unlock. Korra lives on the fourth floor of the five floor building and Asami doesn’t see an elevator.

She wasn’t prepared for stairs but she wasn’t prepared to be swept away by a certain barista who’s jacket itched just above her wrist either.

Asami comes across her door and knocks, hearing a dog bark and a quick slew of words, _sit,_ being the loudest. Korra opens the door, holding a white, fluffy dog by the collar. Asami quickly steps inside and the dog pulls forward, sniffing the air around Asami. In the tug of war battle, Korra’s dog wins, and she surges forward, sniffing Asami’s legs and jumping up.

“Hey, down!” Korra takes hold of her collar again and lightly pats her butt, which makes the dog sit.

Asami places her hand out in front of her, allowing the dog to sniff her. Naga, as Asami recalls, licks her hand and Asami takes it as an invitation to be allowed to pet her. Korra leaves her post holding the dog’s collar and goes over to a couch. Asami looks around, there isn’t much in her apartment. The walls are empty, the furniture is the bare minimum, not even a decorative plant sits at the center of her dining table. Asami joins her on the couch, seeing ripped pages everywhere. Naga joins them, curling up between them. Korra hasn’t looked at her, at least not directly, and certainly not for a long time.

Asami takes one of the drawings she sees. It appears to be just pencil, using mostly shading and erasing. She can’t tell what it is, but it’s smeared and dark and sad.

She looks over to Korra who’s got another page in front of her. Her hand guides the pencil, she’s got the tip of her tongue sticking out of her mouth. Asami gets up, going to the kitchen for water. She opens the fridge, seeing a plethora of energy drinks but no water bottles. She opens a few of the cabinets, finding boxes of protein bars.

“Did you need something?”

Asami walks out of the kitchen, finally being met with those blue eyes. They’re dark, as dark as that drawing she just looked at moments ago, and Asami lets out a long sigh.

She walks back over to the couches, trying to find the right words, “Are you-- how have you-- do you want--” She sits on the couch with her eyes closed and shakes her head, “Korra, how are you feeling?”

Korra shrugs, settling back into the couch, “I’m fine. Just tired.”

Asami swallows, debating if she should reach out to Korra or not. (It’s been a while since she felt her skin.) “Have you been eating? And drinking water? A diet of protein bars and energy drinks isn’t exactly the healthiest thing for you to be doing, especially if you’re missing hours of sleep.”

Korra rolls her eyes, “Not this talk again. Asami, I’m fine. I,” she lets out a sigh, “eat, just fine. I drink water, there’s no need to be wondering all of this, I’m fine.”

Asami pauses, “This talk again?”

Korra lets out another long huff. Her eyes have been on the floor, and they don’t move, “Tenzin’s been calling me more and asking all the same questions,” she groans. “Look, I’m fine, okay?”

Asami looks away, fiddling with her fingers, “I just worry about you. I, I think a lot about you, and sometimes I’m not sure.”

“You worry too much.”

She hears Korra let out a small laugh, it’s real, it’s genuine, it’s her. Asami grins, it’d been a while since she heard it. The only sound for a while is Naga’s snoring as she lays on the floor.

“I know you’re worried about the presentation again,” Korra starts, setting aside the drawing pad. “I’m sure you’ve got your little tablet or one of those binders in your bag right now,” (Asami blushes furiously), “but I really don’t think you need to be.” Korra picks her head up and they lock eyes, “I have watched this project be built from the ground up, and every single part is well thought out and smart and precise. It’s amazing that all of it was done by just yourself. I know you want it to be perfect, but it doesn’t have to be, it shouldn’t be. It should be what it is and that’s you: well thought out and smart and…” 

The words trail off. Asami feels her face on fire, looking into Korra’s eyes. She can see how defeated Korra is, how her eyes droop ever so slightly. Her shoulders are fallen, she’s slouched over, her face is almost in a frown. And yet, Asami is sure she can feel the girl looking at her with all the love in the world.

Korra breaks eye contact, looking past the girl to her dog not too far away. Asami instantly wants the blue to return, to stare at the dark sea and get lost in the waves, to drift away to wherever Korra’s mind is and camp out, learn the terrain, become a local, become a native. She wants to find a way to bring the eyes back to her when she feels a shiver run up her arm.

Korra has taken her hand, intertwining their fingers. Her eyes have moved to the floor again and her hair has fallen over her face. Asami starts to feel Korra’s thumb gently rub up and down on her palm and she swears her heart is about to implode.

Without even thinking, Asami moves closer, intently focusing on the grip Korra has on her hand. It’s gentle but firm, Asami knows Korra wants to be doing this, not just doing it for her own scared sake about the presentation. When she curls up against Korra’s body and doesn’t feel the hand tense up or begin to let go, she lets her head rest on Korra’s shoulder. After a few seconds, Korra’s head leans on Asami’s. It feels so natural, so comfortable.

And clearly comfortable enough for Asami to fall asleep. She would’ve stayed asleep had she not felt the body she leans on flinching. Asami rubs her eyes and begins to hear Korra whimper. Any light that had been pouring through the windows when Asami arrived is gone and she doesn’t know what time it is. She doesn’t really care either, as she sees Korra begin to cry. She reaches out to her, placing her hands on her shoulders and that’s when Korra screams and jumps up, huffing.

Asami falls back onto the couch, ill prepared for the unexpected burst. Korra continues huffing, gasping for air, clutching at her chest and running a hand through her hair. Asami reaches out again and that’s when Korra flinches again. She starts to sob.

“Korra…”

“Get out!”

Asami sits, staring. She isn’t sure if she heard right or not. Korra begins shaking, sobbing inconsolably. Asami just wants to reach out.

_“Get. Out!”_

Asami grabs her things and rushes towards the door, taking one final glance behind her shoulder. Korra’s hands cover her face, her body flinches and shakes, her sobs ring loudly in Asami’s ears. 

In between each desperate gasp for air, she can hear Korra whisper, “Please, please, stop, stop. Please stop, _please.”_

Asami feels her heart sink and she opens the door to leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [chapter analysis ](https://riceccakes.tumblr.com/post/636276122786627584/earth-wind-and-coffee-chapter-two-analysis)  
> i hope i did justice for all of what's happened with korra. i really tried for her actions and behaviors to be real and raw and not cheesy or anything overdone. thank you again for all the love. i'll see you guys for the next chapter :)) x


	3. The Meeting, Reunions, and New Friends

Asami realized she liked Korra one night while they're texting. Asami asked Korra what her favorite drink to make on the menu was (since apparently the girl never tried them much) and she said she enjoys doing pour over coffees upon request. She likes getting to measure out the coffee grounds, using the scale to get the precise measurements. She enjoys blooming the coffee, watching the grounds soak up the water, waiting, then pouring the remaining water in a circular motion towards the center of the filter. She likes watching it fall into the carafe, watching the deep, rich color fill the glass flask until the grounds dry up. 

It was the longest text Korra had ever sent to Asami and she didn’t know what it was. Whether it was opening the text conversation and seeing it fill up her phone screen or if it was the fact that Korra told her she’d make her one next time they see each other, but it didn’t matter. Asami knew, she knows. Asami knows the butterflies in her stomach, knows the rosy feelings in her cheeks, knows the uncontrollable need to smile is all because Korra is Korra and she likes her, more than she’s ever liked a person before.

And now, Asami finds herself reading that text, their whole text conversations, over again, praying to receive a notification from the girl. She doesn’t.

And she hasn’t. Not since she went to Korra’s apartment. Not since the girl gave her a pep talk. Not since the girl held her hand. Not since the girl kicked her out after falling asleep on the couch together. Not since she had to watch Korra cry out in pain and not be able to do a single thing for her.

It’s only been a couple days, but Korra hasn’t answered Asami’s texts or calls. She’s trying not to worry, but how can she not? After the episode she witnessed? Asami would go right back to Korra’s apartment but worries doing so would make her lose Korra fully. She just wants to help her, she wants to help Korra heal, she wants the girl to be able to sleep without the fear of waking up afraid. She wants Korra to be okay.

Today, however, while Korra still swirls around in her mind, the blue eyed barista is not at the forefront of her thoughts, no. Today is the meeting, _the_ meeting. Today is the day Asami’s life is going to change, the day her career in Future Industries is going to begin. Today is the day her father will know that he raised a true Sato.

So, to keep her heart at ease, she replays Korra’s words in her mind, how the presentation shouldn’t be perfect, but should be what it is: her. Asami’s confidence only comes to a point, and she wishes Korra would send her a text, to let her know she’ll do great, but it never comes.

Asami tries harder not to think about it.

She’s up early, earlier than she normally is. Asami has made herself her favorite breakfast, a spinach, mushroom, and cheese omelette, and has it with fresh sliced tomatoes and toast on the side. She drinks her cup of coffee, reciting the presentation quietly to herself. She cleans up and goes to her room, looking at the outfit she’s reserved for this presentation for weeks.

It’s a pair of high waisted mauve dress pants, a white collared shirt, a black cardigan and finished with a pair of black heels. It’s simple, yes, but she doesn’t want to single out any nation by wearing one of their colors, so she’s chosen neutral colors with one that still catches the eye. Plus, she can’t deny the confidence she feels wearing it.

After changing, she does her usual face of makeup and leaves her hair down. She pins one side of it back with the golden hairpin her mother gave her as a child and stares in the mirror.

_You will do great. You will do great._

She’d already prepared all of her materials; she brought in the info binders periodically, so she wouldn’t have to lug all twenty of them the day of. All she needs now is her work bag and she’s out the door. On the drive there, she passes through all of the green lights. She arrives at the tower in what feels like record time and she looks up and thinks _It’s all about to happen._ She swipes her company card and gets to the elevator with a pep in her step. She stops at her desk to grab the bin with all the binders and heads towards the conference room floor.

There’s already a loud roar of conversation as Asami enters. Looking towards the front of the room to see the projector setup, Asami spots Iroh shaking hands with the representatives. He’s dressed in the finest suit and tie, holding the remote for the projector. At the front of the table and each seat is a black binder, some of her coworkers already flipping through it. She furrows her eyebrows as she sees Hiroshi idly standing by, conversing with the group of men and laughing along with them. He spots Asami by the door and excuses himself.

“Dad, what’s Iroh doing?” she asks as he nears. He takes Asami by the arm and pulls her out into the hallway.

He lets out a hard sigh, “Asami, I, I must’ve forgotten.”

Asami sees Kuvira appear from the bathroom and she tears away her gaze from her father to look at the woman.

“There was a... _talk_ ,” her father slowly drags the words out of his mouth but Asami only watches as Kuvira walks towards them with a concerned look on her face, “and the board decided we’d need to change direction with our presenter for these representatives today.”

Asami pushes back tears as Hiroshi continues talking, Kuvira is finally with them. The bin she holds pinches the skin on her fingers as she watches Kuvira and Hiroshi argue for a moment.

“You said you already told her,” Kuvira angrily notes.

“It must’ve slipped my mind,” Hiroshi barely utters. “Or I didn’t press send on the email.”

“ _Email?_ ” Kuvira may be whispering but she’s yelling at her boss. 

Raoshing sticks his head from out the door, “I know it’s early, but the reps are ready for Iroh if you are.”

Asami watches as her father can only hold her gaze for so long before letting his head fall and walking into the conference room. She no longer feels the blood in her fingers as she stares at the wall that her father had been in front of.

“Asami,” Kuvira whispers, reaching for the bin. “He told me you knew.”

She bites her tongue and pushes back her heart in her throat. She takes a deep breath and walks into the conference room, sitting at the seat closest to the door. Iroh has already begun but Asami hears no words, only a blaring ring in her ears. Her face feels hot and she wonders how red she is. She stares at the black binder, notes the natural grooves and curves of the material, the plastic covering over top of it, the metal spine peaking out at the bottom. She’s only brought out of it’s dark trance when she feels a hand be placed on her arm; Kuvira. 

Asami doesn’t even know what Iroh’s presentation is and she can’t bring herself to care. When the applause echoes through the conference room, Asami stands up, feeling a tug at her side and hearing a tearing noise. Part of her cardigan had gotten caught on the chair, now the fabric has ripped and frayed and one strand lingers loosely, holding onto the rest of the material for dear life. She stares at the cardigan, the ragged tear, the broken piece of cloth, the severed relationship with her father.

Hiroshi bought her this cardigan.

“Asami, hey.”

She looks up, most all of her coworkers have already filed out the door. Only the representatives, Hiroshi, and Kuvira stand at the front of the room by the screen. Asami finds the voice that called her and is met with amber eyes and an obnoxious grin.

“What did you think?” Iroh asks. 

He’s taken off his sport coat, Asami couldn’t tell you when. She doesn’t answer, simply staring at his tie, at the Fire Nation pin placed in the center of it.

“I know it must’ve been hard, hearing that the board changed presenters, especially on such short notice. Why don’t I make it up to you with that drink I’ve been offering? All the investors said they’d like to work with Future Industries, so it’s a win for us all. What do you say?”

Asami stares at Iroh, the smug look on his face is not one she enjoys. She looks at her father again, how tall he’s standing, the smile on his face, the laughter leaving his mouth. She looks at her father and wonders who he is. Kuvira’s stance is small, her usually stoic look is one that is disappointed and dejected. She meets Asami’s eyes and simply shakes her head.

With that, Asami turns her heel, not bothering with Iroh’s words calling after her, not bothering with her coworkers looking at her, not bothering with anything. She steps inside the elevator, gets to the ground floor, exits Future Industries Tower and drives off. 

When she gets to her apartment’s garage, Asami’s knuckles are white. The ringing in her ear has not stopped and she stares at the parked car in front of her. She isn’t even sure how she got home, she doesn’t remember any of it, all she knows is that her chest is tight and suddenly, she can’t see. Suddenly, she’s crying.

She slams her hand down on the wheel, once, twice, three times. She doesn’t know if anyone is watching but she also doesn’t care. Asami curses under her breath, now her hand hurts. She hears her phone go off, the first person she thinks of is Korra, and she answers it straight away without looking at the caller I.D.

“Asami?” Kuvira says.

She shuts her eyes, feeling more tears stream down her face.

“Asami, where did you go? People said they saw you leave the tower, are you all right?”

She lets out a small whimper and hears shuffling on Kuvira’s end. 

“Okay, I never told you this, and please don’t hate me now, but Hiroshi had a tracker put in your phone so we could know where you always are. He has one on his phone too but I know it was wrong to put one on yours and not tell you.” Kuvira huffs, “God, what else has Hiroshi not told you.” She curses, “Sorry. Look, I’m coming to you now. Okay? I’ll see you soon.”

Asami has her hand over her mouth, silently sobbing, feeling as if she’ll throw up. She leans her head on her wheel, her mind wanders to what could’ve been, what should’ve been. She begins reciting the presentation, feeling the words catch in her throat, and she tries to continue but it’s too hard. She feels as if her car is closing in on her, that the metal is compacting. The seatbelt keeps her locked down to the driver’s seat and she can’t leave if she wants to. The Satomobile holds her hostage and she lets it. Even while it’s hurting her, even while it’s harshly molding itself onto her, she stays at her father’s heel because, what else is she to do?

A gentle knock on her window shakes her. She looks and sees Kuvira standing there. Asami takes a breath, opening the door, attempting to get out.

“Asami, the engine,” Kuvira says and opens the door wider. “And your seatbelt.”

She presses the buckle release then turns the key, taking it out of the ignition and giving it to the girl. Asami steps out, her knees are weak but Kuvira is there to catch her. She brings Asami back up and looks at her with concerned eyes.

“I really thought you knew,” Kuvira says. She helps Asami walk towards the stairwell. “It happened some time last week, I heard it from outside his office. They all agreed someone with a more known status would wow the reps.”

“More known status?” Asami finally croaks. They’ve walked up the stairs and are at her door. Kuvira grabs the keys from her hands and tries each one until she unlocks the door. “ _More known status?_ Does my name mean _nothing?_ Do I mean _nothing?”_

Asami begins yelling, screaming at the top of her lungs, letting all the thoughts, all the insecurities her father gave her finally be released into the world. Kuvira lets her, simply nodding and following along on the couch while Asami paces her living room. She spews out word after word, about the work, about the presentation, about Iroh, his position, her position, the company, the CEO, and she only stops when she feels the weight of her father rest on her shoulders.

She begins crying again, though she thought she’d already cried herself out in the car. Kuvira gets up from the couch to sit on the ground with her. She rubs her back, taking the nearby box of tissues off the end table and giving it to Asami. She blows her nose, seeing stark black streaks against white. She feels her cheeks, gasping at the fact she’s messed up her makeup. Kuvira assures her it’s okay and continues rubbing her back. 

“Asami, I’m sorry.”

She utters an exasperated chuckle, “You’re saying Iroh made a presentation in just a couple of days?”

Kuvira rolls her eyes, “No, Hiroshi gave him the notes on something he’d been working on for a while and told him to summarize it for today. What was your idea?”

Asami winces, staring at her hands. She tries to smile, “Motorcycles, motorcycle racers, sponsorships, jumpsuits, fuzzy dice.” She feels the tears coming in again.

“Is that what you’ve been doing every Thursday at 1 AM? Creating all of that?”

Asami pushes past the fact that Kuvira has secretly invaded her privacy and only thinks of Korra. Her heart pangs, she misses her. “Yeah. And you were right, about Korra. She’s the one I was texting all the time.”

“Do you want to call her? You’re gonna need all the friends you have right now.”

Asami grins at the statement but quickly shakes her head as a wave of pain courses through her body, “She hasn’t-- she isn’t--” She lets out an unsteady breath, “I haven’t heard from her, the past couple of days.”

Kuvira nods. She stands up, walking to Asami’s kitchen and returning with a water bottle. She hands it to Asami, “Want to tell me why?”

Asami shrugs.

“Do you want to tell me about her?” Kuvira offers, unsure during her entire sentence.

Asami chuckles, “Did you really mean that?”

Kuvira takes a slow breath before nodding, “Well, I’m not sure if it’s the right thing to be asking, but, if you’ll feel better, tell me about her.”

“Well, she’s quiet, quiet until you get her going on about how the snow in Republic City is _nothing_ compared to the Southern Water Tribe. She’s attentive, she takes note of so much, I mean she really listens. I don’t even remember telling her that I love cinnamon buns but she made me fresh ones after,” she stops, feeling her cheeks turn pink and she can’t help but smile. “Kuvira, she moved around tables and chairs to look like a conference room so I could practice giving my presentation like it was the real thing. And then when we finished, she brought out cinnamon buns and they had extra frosting. And she wasn’t even phased when she found out I was a Sato, she just nodded, and she fixed my sketches because she can draw and she draws so well.”

Asami’s heart is conflicted. It wants to fly, it wants to break out of its cocoon and flutter away to wherever Korra is but it also wants to shatter. It wants to tear apart because Korra is gone and she doesn’t know when she’ll come back and her father just ripped the rug out from under her and she feels like she doesn’t know anything anymore.

“Sounds like she cares a lot about you, going out of her way to make cinnamon buns,” Kuvira says. She nudges Asami’s side, “Sounds like _you_ care about her a lot.”

Asami feels her cheeks redden and she looks away, “...Is it that obvious?”

Kuvira only smiles. She waits a few moments, “Did something happen before she stopped talking to you?”

Asami recalls the other night, the painful cries escaping Korra’s mouth, “I think she had a panic attack. I wanted to help her but she wouldn’t let me. She kicked me out.”

“I think she’ll come around,” Kuvira responds. “I’ve never met anyone who wouldn’t want to be around you.”

Asami rolls her eyes but Kuvira pushes forward.

“No, I’m serious! I’ve always got people at the office asking where you are when we get drinks after hours. No one in the office ever has anything bad to say about you, they all know how hard you work, they all want you in their group when we do team projects. Imagine someone outside of work now, getting to see Asami Sato _relaxing_.”

Asami lets out a chuckle, feeling a smile tug at her lips.

“You’ve always been a good person, Asami, a great one. Even then, you wanted to help Korra, and I’m sure she knows that. If she knows what’s good for her, she won’t want to let go of that in her life.”

Asami loses the battle with the muscles in her face and she smiles wide. 

After a few seconds, Kuvira sighs, “I hope you can forgive me for what happened earlier. Had I known Hiroshi didn’t tell you, I would’ve warned you sooner.”

“That’s not your fault, Kuvira.” Her blood begins to boil at the thought of her father, “ _He_ made his choice.”

Asami stares at the floor a few moments longer, “I think I need some time away from the company. I’ve got all these personal hours and sick days and vacation days from the roll over policy, four years of never taking a single day off, it’ll be good to finally get some of that time off.”

Kuvira nods, “I’ll let HR know. Will you need anything from your desk? I can get it for you next time I’m in the office.”

“You’re not going back right now?”

Kuvira scoffs, “Spirits, no, if I go back, I might lose my job.” She moves her body to lean against the coffee table, “It’s one thing for him as a CEO to do this to an employee, but as a father to his daughter? Getting abandoned by your parent, trust me, I know the feeling and I know it’s not a good one. I never would’ve thought of Hiroshi as one.” She pulls off her armor and takes out her cellphone, “Now, let’s get the most amount of greasy, gross food and we can eat this all away for a few hours, okay?”

And so, they do. They order a number of dishes from Narook’s and eat it on the floor of Asami’s apartment. After that, Asami curls up on the couch while Kuvira finds a movie to put on. The sounds begin to waver and Asami feels her eyes start to close. She feels tired from the food, from the crying, from the screaming, and her body can’t hold on much longer. When she wakes, she sees a note in front of her, and it pains her to know it’s not more drawings from Korra.

The note says Kuvira left because she was receiving multiple phone calls from the company. Asami looks around, feeling unbearably alone. She changes out of her clothes, inspecting the rip and resolving to fix it another time. She puts on sweatpants, a tee shirt, and Korra’s jacket. The fabric smells less like her and Asami starts to worry she won’t remember the scent. 

Her phone has no messages from Korra. She’s checked second after second, minute after minute, it’s turned into an hour, but nothing. Asami knows it isn’t Thursday, but she needs to see the girl. She’s not sure if it’s the right move, since it seems like Korra doesn’t want to see her, but every part of her knows that if she’s with Korra, she’ll feel just an ounce better.

And an ounce is all she needs.

She drives to the cafe, seeing the usual empty parking lot, but not the usual barista she adores. A random man stands behind the counter as Asami walks up to him, wishing the angle into the backroom were different so she could peer inside.

“Hi, what can I get you?”

She fiddles with the zipper of Korra’s jacket, “Um, I was actually looking for Korra? She’s usually here right now.”

He nods, yawning, a lifeless look in his eyes, “Oh, yeah, she’s been gone the past couple days. I’m the unlucky bastard that got stuck with the shift.”

Asami promptly leaves, feeling her heart crack and begin to crumble. She doesn’t remember the rest of the night, maybe she cries more, maybe she can’t cry anymore. All she knows is the next day her body hurts.

Kuvira comes around noon. The girl is on her lunch and very much needed to get out of the office. She brings the few items from Asami’s desk and the two eat together at Asami’s table.

“I hope you were all right after I left you last night,” Kuvira says. “I could ignore the calls from Hiroshi but then Ming started calling and she said it was urgent so I went back.”

“What happened?” Asami utters, tossing around the noodles on her plate. She’s not particularly hungry.

“Hiroshi was freaking out about my absence, something about not feeling safe without me in front of his office,” Kuvira waves the thoughts off.

Asami winces, what about her absence?

“Thanks for coming over,” she whispers, bringing her knees up to her chin. She wraps her arms around herself and sighs.

Kuvira lets out a long breath, “Did I ever tell you about why I accepted this job your father offered me?”

Asami shakes her head.

“Would you like to know?”

Asami feels grateful the woman is trying to get her to think about anything other than the presentation, or her father, or Korra, so she nods, blowing a piece of hair out of her face.

“Well, like I’ve told you, I grew up in Zaofu, but I actually grew up with the Beifong family.” Her eyes fall towards the floor and Asami sees her soften.

“Su found me on the streets outside her home, she used to take walks around the gates at night. I was probably, seven or eight at the time? My parents just, left me on the side of the road. Su took me inside and started raising me as her own.”

Kuvira sighs, “I wanted Suyin’s home to feel like my own home, but there was always something that made it feel like it couldn’t be my home. Not to say Su and Baatar were bad to me, goodness no, they gave me all that I needed to survive, but that’s all it was, survival. It never felt like I was family. Their kids came first and I only wished it had been the same for my parents.” She shrugs, “So, I grew up in Zaofu, with the Beifongs, and,” she clenches her jaw, “and their daughter, Opal, she was really good to me. She was the best to me, out of everyone. I always thought she was amazing, and sweet, and I always thought she just thought of me as a sister, but I couldn’t help but see her as more.”

Asami’s eyes widen, she hadn’t considered Kuvira’s sexuality before. Of course, she’s no stranger to it, being bisexual herself, but up until now, she assumed Kuvira was straight.

“You wouldn’t even believe what I was like when I found out she felt the same. Opal had just turned eighteen when everything started between us and it was good. It was all the cute, fluffy, honeymoon stage stuff, you know like in the movies? I loved it and I know Opal did too but when I wanted to tell Su, she stopped me.

“At first, she told me it was cause she just wanted to enjoy it for herself a little longer. So, I listened to her and I didn’t tell Su, and we kept our relationship in secret for almost a year. By that point, I’d felt awful for lying to Su while I was climbing the ranks of the Zaofu guard, but Opal insisted we don’t tell her. It’d already become such a detriment to our relationship but I didn’t want to lose her, so I listened again. We were together for over a year without anyone knowing and then that’s when I met Hiroshi at that gala.

“Opal was the first person I told about the job offer and she was a mess, I mean we both were. She didn’t want me to take it, she wanted me to stay in Zaofu, and I would’ve, but,” she takes a deep breath, “when Su found out, it became a whole family affair. All the Beifongs came together and they all were supportive of me taking the job. Of course, Su was going to be sad I was gone if I took it, but she understood the opportunity. She always talked to me about travel and seeing the world, and she knew I wanted to do all of that, but I couldn’t really do it if I’d stayed in the guard. Everyone said their two cents except Opal, and I looked at her and she wouldn’t look at me. She told me in front of her family I should take it.”

Kuvira shakes her head, “What a conversation that was for us that night. I mean, it was a screaming match, and I didn’t mean to be so angry but I just didn’t understand why she couldn’t tell her family she didn’t want me to leave. And then it all came back to our relationship and I said some things I shouldn’t have and Opal ended it. So I left.”

Asami thinks of that one night she saw Opal in _Earth, Wind, and Coffee._ She wonders if Kuvira knows she’s in Republic City, and has been for almost two years.

Their eyes meet and Kuvira lets out an unsteady chuckle, “Maybe that wasn’t the conversation to have right now.”

Asami shakes her head, a small grin on her face forming, “It’s okay, thanks for telling me. What about when you went to Zaofu, did you see her?”

Kuvira shakes her head and looks down, “Su said she’s at college, probably Omashu or Ba Sing Se, we’d been talking about some schools there.”

“Do you want to talk to her?”

The woman shrugs, playing with the fabric of her pants, “I wouldn’t know what to say, I could apologize but after all this time? And I’m sure by now she’s moved on, so there really wouldn’t be a point.”

“You still love her?”

Kuvira smiles, “I can’t imagine the day I won’t.” She checks the time, “I should get back now, would you like me to come over later?”

“No, I’ll be fine. But, thanks again for coming over.”

They walk together to the door and Asami gives Kuvira a quick hug. Kuvira chuckles, turning back to her.

“You and Korra won’t turn out like me and Opal,” she says. Asami watches her smile grow, “You guys will be okay, I’m calling it now.”

Kuvira rubs Asami’s arm before walking out the door. She sighs, finding her phone to see no messages from Korra. She wonders if checking her phone is just a disservice to herself but she can’t help it. She’d like to take Kuvira’s statement and keep it as true, but she isn’t sure.

That night, she visits _Earth, Wind, and Coffee_ again and sees the same man. She doesn’t even walk through the door, doesn’t even put her car in park. She pulls out of the parking lot not even seconds after she’d just pulled in and she drives home in silence.

The next day, while she’s with her lab partners, they speak of going out on Friday night. Asami knows she’ll be at home, alone, doing nothing, and she can’t remember the last time she spent a night out. (She’s convinced it’s never happened before.) Her lab partners are pleasantly surprised when she mentions she’ll join them.

She knows it’s pointless, to drive all the way across town again to go to the cafe, but she can’t help it. It’s second nature by this point, engraved in her routine to drive to _Earth, Wind, and Coffee_ on Thursday nights. So she goes, once again seeing the same man behind the counter through the building’s window. This time, she doesn’t pull in.

There are still no messages from Korra, no calls, just pure silence. She can’t be mad at the girl, no matter how much she wants to be. Korra is hurting and it has to be on her own terms to reach out for help. Asami only hopes the girl knows that she wants to help her, that when she is ready, she’ll turn to her. 

The night out with her lab partners is good. Asami dresses up for the first time in what feels like forever, the last time being for a Future Industries event. The group goes to dinner and stops at a club later in the night. Asami sees they’re good people, they’re funny and they’re nice, but they’re not Korra. She doesn’t want to be distracted the whole night, so she does her best to focus on the group she’s with, but she can’t help but wonder how Korra is. She hopes to feel a notification from the girl, she prays to all the spirits that Korra contacts her. She wonders if she should text the girl once more, asking again how she is, but she doesn’t want to over step. 

A man at the bar tries to get Asami’s attention but she doesn’t indulge. The man is tall, with a beard and short hair. He wears a tight shirt and even tighter pants and has a symmetrical grin on his face. Asami misses the height difference between her and Korra, how the girl has had to look up at her from time to time, she misses the single strand of her hair in her bangs that rests in between her eyebrows. She misses the blue hoodie, how it leaves a lot of things up to imagination. And that damned smile, that crooked, toothy grin, she misses that the most. This man is everything Korra is not and Asami doesn’t want any of him.

The night ends for the group and Asami is grateful to have gone out with them. The group is glad to see her outside of school and expect more nights like this one. She happily agrees and heads home. She was going to drive to the cafe, just to check, just in case something has changed, but she resolves not to. There’s no message, no call, nothing from Korra.

And somehow, the days turn into weeks, and there’s still nothing. No call from Korra, no text, not to mention the same for her father. He hasn’t reached out to her since the presentation and Asami wishes she was surprised but she’s not. Work always comes first for him and apparently that won’t change, even in the instance that he’s hurt his daughter in the process.

Asami doesn’t want to be like him anymore, her dream of being a businesswoman and an engineer and a creator has not changed, but she doesn’t want to be like her father. She wants to be the opposite, she wants to incorporate her love of work with her love for life. She no longer wants to please him, to seek his approval, because why should she care for his feelings when he doesn’t care for hers?

Kuvira still comes around, knowing better than to talk about him, knowing better than to talk about anything related to Future Industries. So, she talks more about herself and Asami enjoys knowing more about her. Asami goes out with her lab group more, getting to know them as well, and begins to enjoy this more slow paced sense of life. She’s not rushing to please anyone but herself and she’s found that getting her work done, seeing her friends, and actually relaxing is more than enough for her.

She only wishes she could share this with Korra.

And the girl still hasn’t left her mind, it’s been so long since she’s heard from her. She’s stopped going to the cafe, feeling it’s of no use to hurt herself like that. But, while she can stop her body from going to the car and driving across town, she can’t stop her mind from wondering how she is, what she’s been up to. She may very well still be in her apartment, locked behind a closed door, shielding herself from the world because she doesn’t want it to know she’s hurting. 

She still reads their chats, wondering if she should regret the last ten texts she sent Korra.

_Asami: are you okay?_

_Asami: i shouldn’t have left_

_Asami: hi, i hope you’re feeling better_

_Asami: i’m sorry_

_Asami: i should’ve done more for you_

_Asami: hey, hope you’re doing good_

_Asami: i want you to know that i’m here for you, so if you need anything, please_

_Asami: can you let me know you’re okay, please? or at least alive? please?_

_Asami: that was a joke, the alive part_

_Asami: the presentation is tomorrow. i’m so nervous. i know you told me not to be, but i can’t help it. i hope you’re okay <3 _

Her body is still used to its normal routine of waking up for work so her eyes open at six in the morning. She groans, rubbing her face with her hands. Her body hurts, it’s been hurting for days. Her heart hurts most, this she knows. The rest of the pain is beyond her, though she doesn’t do anything to alleviate it. She keeps up her usual routine of school and homework and tries to keep Korra as close to her as she can, wearing the jacket that smells more like her than the previous owner. And now, she pops the collar and tucks her face within it, reaching out for her phone. 

_Korra: Meet me at the docks?_

* * *

As Asami walks up to the harbor, she sees Korra sitting, her legs hanging over the edge, like the last time they had been here. Korra turns around as Asami nears in, “Hey, how was that presentation?”

Her heart begins to ache. It’s been so long since she heard Korra’s voice, and to hear that question, the pain might be too much for her to handle. She sits down next to the girl, looking out across the water in the early morning. 

She sighs, pushing her hair back behind her ears, “It, uh, didn’t happen.” She gulps, feeling Korra’s eyes land on her. “I walked into the conference room and Iroh was setting up and I asked my dad and he just told me, _Oh, Asami, Iroh will be giving the presentation now. Why don’t you have a seat before he starts?_ ”

She turns to face the blue eyed girl, she watches as she shakes her head, “Wait, Iroh? Is he kind of a big ass jerk, apparently _son of the Fire Lord_?”

Asami nods, “He was in the cafe one time.”

Korra groans, “Ugh, I can’t stand that guy. He’s been at the cafe a few times and he never shuts up about it. Sometimes I wonder how his little friend group stands him.”

Asami doesn’t respond, only looking at Korra. The bags she last saw under her eyes look about the same, Korra’s voice still sounds so fragile. Asami tries not to cry. “How have you been? Were you okay, after that…”

Korra shuts her eyes and shakes her head, “Please, Asami. I don’t want to talk about it. I’m sorry you had to see it.” She gulps, “I’m sorry I’ve been away and that I haven’t been answering any of your texts or calls and I’m so sorry you didn’t get to give that presentation.” Korra’s eyes open but they don’t find Asami’s, “I don’t even want to call it an anniversary but the Red Lotus attack happened a year ago last week and, after having you over and you having to see me like that, I just--” 

Korra hands fiddle on her lap and for the first time Asami sees that she’s actually scratching. Her knuckles have scabs and dried blood on them and they’re dry and red but Korra doesn’t stop. 

“Asami, I didn’t want you to see me like that again, and I’ve been such a mess.” Her face turns slightly and she motions to fabric covering Asami’s arm, “Still wearing it, huh?”

Asami smiles lightly and sighs. She desperately wishes for the girl to do as she always does and _listen_ , “I wish you hadn’t pushed me away. I wish you would’ve let me help you with this. I know it must be a lot and it’s not healthy for you to be on your own with it. You need help, Korra. Have you ever seen a therapist?”

Korra continues picking at her skin. Asami sees her jaw tense up.

“I’ve always been able to take care of myself, Asami. I’ve never needed anyone to look out for me or look after me, I’ve always been able to do it on my own.”

Asami reaches over to her hands to stop her. She reaches up to Korra’s cheek and gently turns her head to look at her. Korra shuts her eyes as tears fall down her face, Asami wipes them away and asks for the girl to look at her.

Once Korra’s eyes meet hers, Asami says, “That doesn’t mean you always have to be on your own.” She smiles at Korra, at the girl who’s turned her world upside down. Her hand remains on Korra’s cheek and she feels the girl sink into her palm. “I’ll be here for you, and it seems like Tenzin will be too, what with saying he was calling you more. And you have his family, and your own family, even though they’re away, they’re here to support you, we all are. You can still be strong and turn to other people for help. It takes great strength to ask for help and I know for a fact you’re strong enough, those bags of coffee beans were nothing for you.”

A laugh escapes Korra’s mouth and she turns away from the girl, holding Asami’s hand in her lap. She squeezes her hand and feels Korra return the gesture.

“I’ve missed you,” Asami says. A few of the dock workers begin to appear in the parking lot. “Why don’t we kick this popsicle stand and get out of here?”

She stands up and presents her hands to Korra. She looks up at her, at the jazz hands in front of her face, and smiles. She takes them and Asami hoists her up. It’s not as fast as when Korra did it to her, but it does the job. Suddenly, Asami is met with arms wrapped around her neck.

“I’ve missed you too,” Korra whispers. Her grip is tight and Asami is still surprised.

But quickly, she falls into the girl, forgetting the entire world around them. She breathes in, the warm vanilla is even sweeter than when she first smelt it on the jacket, and Asami lets out the most satisfying breath.

“Thank you,” Korra whispers before letting go. She doesn’t meet Asami’s eyes but Asami sees a shade of pink flood her cheeks.

She presents her hand again and they walk to her car. Asami explains what she’s been doing in their time apart and Korra does the same. She tells Asami the panic attack she saw was the worst she’d ever had and it was harder for her to get over it. The following days were a blur to her, she doesn’t remember much other than sitting on the couch and petting Naga. Slowly, Korra was able to get up and walk around. It wasn’t long, though, until she found herself in bed. 

Korra doesn’t remember what happened on the anniversary date, only that she was sat on the ground for a long time. Something about a wall, something about Naga’s head on her lap, is what she tells Asami. She only showered for the first time again a few days ago and this was the first time she left her house since the panic attack. She didn’t even remember where she last put her phone and only found it after tearing apart her apartment. (It had fallen between the couch cushions.) After plugging it in to charge and seeing notifications from Asami, Korra says she knew she wanted to see her, to apologize at the very least for being away.

“You don’t need to apologize,” Asami says, as she parks the car in her apartment’s garage. “You never need to apologize for any of this.”

Naga shoots up from the back seat and licks Asami’s face. She laughs and pets the dog as Korra does her best to pull her back. They stopped at Korra’s to grab some clothes and Naga before going to Asami’s apartment. Her home felt suffocating and Korra didn’t want to be there anymore, so Asami happily offered her place for the time being.

Asami places her keys in the glass bowl and lets Naga run free. The dog sniffs around all the furniture, disappearing through doors and reappearing, still sniffing everything around her. Korra quickly finds the girl’s couch and sits down, sinking into the cushions. Asami puts Korra’s duffle bag of clothes in the closet and asks if she wants something to eat.

“No,” Korra says, covering her face in her hands. “I’m not really hungry.”

Asami purses her lips, walking over to the couch, “When was the last time you ate?”

She shrugs, “I think I had a protein bar the other night.”

Korra refuses to look at the girl, now staring up at the ceiling. Asami bites the inside of her cheek, unsure of what to do. She orders food for them, hoping later in the day Korra would eat. She’s happy to have the girl back but she’s quiet. Korra sits on the couch for a majority of the day, barely moving from her spot, her eyes now finding solace in the window. Asami wants to talk to her but she isn’t sure of how the girl is feeling, how up to conversation she is.

Asami doesn’t go to school, she can afford to miss a day’s worth of classes. She gets situated with her tablet, planning to write more of her lab group’s report, sitting next to Korra. The girl doesn’t move, eyes still staring out the glass. Asami sometimes looks up and follows her gaze, sometimes following an airplane, other times following the clouds move. Hours go by and it’s just this: silence, couch sitting, window gazing. Naga still searches the apartment, settling on the ground near them once she’s satisfied with her findings. Asami wishes she could travel through Korra’s mind and help the girl make sense of her thoughts.

“Korra, it’s getting late,” Asami finally speaks. She’s finished her entire portion of the lab report and a little of her partners, completed the homework of two of her classes, and written another four pages of her senior thesis.

Korra slowly brings her eyes from the window and scans the room, trying to find a clock. She nods, “You should get to sleep.”

“I’ll say the same about you.”

Korra shakes her head, “I’ll be okay.” Her eyes find Asami’s and she’s forgotten how beautiful those baby blues are. “I can stay here on the couch, Naga too.”

Asami nods, wanting the girl to be as comfortable as possible. She gets some spare sheets from her closet and also brings Korra’s duffle bag. They fix the couch to be a makeshift bed and Asami lets Korra use the bathroom first. She waits for Korra to come out, sitting on the arm of the couch and biting her lip.

Korra meets Asami’s eyes and sighs, “You didn’t have to wait.”

Asami walks up to her and shakes her head. She looks at the bags under Korra’s eyes, the shaky look she has, the unsettling neutral expression she gives, “I wanted to make sure you’re all right.” 

The sentence sparks a light in Korra’s eyes and she slowly starts to grin. She closes the space with another step and keeps her eyes on Asami’s, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. One particularly wavy piece doesn’t stay, Korra tilts her head but doesn’t try again. They stare at each other for a few seconds longer before Korra wraps her up in a hug.

Asami falls into the arms wrapped around her neck, smells the warm vanilla and what seems to be her lotion. She isn’t sure if the grip around the girl’s waist is too tight but she can’t help it, she’s missed Korra. They part and they’re both smiling.

“I’m just down the hall, okay?” Asami says, sternly pointing a finger at her favorite girl. “You come in if you need anything. Okay?” 

Korra rolls her eyes but nods, “Okay. Good night.”

Asami wakes up the next morning, Korra is already up, stirring a mug. She gives it to the girl, telling her it’s a cup of the grounds she found with two scoops of sugar. (“Just like you told me you like it,” she says as she hands it to Asami. “Good morning.”) She explains to the girl she’ll have to go to school today but that Korra should make herself right at home. She leaves the spare key for her, though she isn’t sure she’ll use it, and gives her a quick hug before leaving.

When she comes home from school, Korra is on the couch, eyes out the window. Naga is on her lap and Korra is stroking her back. Asami comes up to them and Korra jumps, Naga’s head quickly shooting up and burying herself further in Korra. She shakes her head, eyes shut, breathing heavily. With Naga in her lap, her chest begins to follow a better, steady rhythm and she opens her eyes.

“Sorry,” she says, “I didn’t hear you come in.”

Asami warms up the leftovers from last night and offers some to Korra. She declines, curling up into the couch. She turns on the TV to watch. 

Asami knows she isn’t.

This becomes the new routine. Asami wakes up, Korra gives her a cup of coffee, she goes to school, comes home, and Korra is in the same spot she left her. She can tell the girl is scared. One weekend, while Korra is off in the shower, Asami sits with Naga on the couch. The girl gets up to get something from her room and Naga follows close behind. Upon getting to her bedroom door, she hears faint crying coming from the bathroom next to her. It’s muffled but she knows. She knocks, asking if Korra is all right. The girl responds as Asami assumed she would, “I’m fine.”

Asami turns to Naga, bending down to be eye level with the dog. She holds her fluffy head in her hands, petting behind her ears, “When is she going to let us help her, Naga?” The dog stares at her, tongue hanging out of her mouth, and she leans forward to lick Asami’s face. She smiles, looking towards the bathroom door. “I hope soon.”

A few nights later, Asami wakes up in the middle of the night. She’s thirsty, her mouth is absolutely dry. She reaches for her usual cup of water on the nightstand but it’s not there. She rubs her eyes, getting up and trying to be quiet. As she nears the kitchen, she hears faint crying from the couch. She walks over, seeing Korra shaking, tightly gripping the blanket on her. It’s just like those weeks ago, when Asami had been kicked out. Korra’s crying gets louder and Asami sits down, putting her hands on the girl’s shoulder. 

“Korra,” she whispers. The girl’s body is slicked with sweat yet she’s freezing. “Korra.”

The girl’s eyes open and her chest puffs in and out violently, she gulps and looks around. Her eyes are frantic, she’s terrified, but once she finds Asami’s eyes, her breathing levels out. She quickly wipes the tears off her face, now trying to push the girl away.

“Hey,” Asami whispers, not letting the girl go so easily.

Korra’s still shaking but Asami is able to wrap her arms around the girl’s shoulders. She feels Korra’s hand reach up to her arm, feels her fingers gently wrap themselves around her skin. Her breathing returns to normal, Asami lets go and looks at her. She takes her hands, grabbing a water bottle from the fridge, and walking them back to her room. Korra quietly obliges, holding onto Asami’s arm like a koala. Naga follows them into Asami’s room, settling at the foot of the bed, and Asami helps Korra get settled.

“Do you think you can try to sleep again?”

Korra shakes her head.

“Then keep me company until I do?”

Korra nods. Asami gets under the covers, Korra quickly meshing their bodies together. She rests her head in the crook of Asami's neck and curls into a ball. Asami wraps her arms around the girl, placing a gentle kiss on the top of her head, and drifting off to sleep.

After that night, Korra starts sharing the bed with Asami.

It’s Asami's favorite part of the day, walking to her room and Korra following not too long after. Asami bought a bed for Naga, it’s in the spot the canine enjoys best. She loves getting into bed, snuggling up under the covers and turning to Korra next to her.

Korra leans on her elbow, tucking Asami’s hair behind her ears, repeatedly doing so when that one wavy strand of hair won’t stay back. “How come this one won’t stay?” 

Asami chuckles, happily watching Korra try to succeed, “I get it from my mom.”

Korra stops, looking between her eyes. Asami can’t get over the feeling those blue eyes give her. “Can I know about her?”

And so Asami tells her every memory she has of her mother; the time they used their dinner to create the parts of an atom, how for her birthday, she would bring Asami into work and let her sit at her desk as her mother tended to her job. She mentions the gold pin her mother passed down to her not long before she passed away, a car accident.

Asami glances up at Korra, the girl’s blue eyes send shivers down her spine. She luckily plays it off as being cold, but it’s no lie she’s gotten the chills. Korra listens intently, taking in every last word Asami says, and she would’ve leaned up to kiss the girl had she not set a boundary for herself.

At no point during Korra’s stay would she make any sort of move. Korra needs to focus on getting better, Korra needs a friend. Asami couldn’t possibly throw a wrench in her progression by tangling her feelings into Korra’s mixed ones. She can’t tell if Korra feels the same as her or not, but if she does, Asami will let Korra take the lead on how they go about it. It’s a very big if, but an if Asami prays to Raava might one day be true.

Asami's least favorite part of the day is waking up and not seeing Korra next to her. She’s never sure how much sleep Korra gets, if she gets any at all, and she’s never sure how the girl leaves without waking her up. But, every morning, Asami wakes up to the smell of coffee being made. She’s at least grateful for that.

Korra has gotten better, somewhat, she’s more vocal now and has started moving around the house more. Asami knows this isn’t enough though, and wants the girl to get more help. While she’s drinking her coffee and Korra washes the dishes, she brings up her thoughts about a therapist again.

“Asami, come on,” she starts.

“Come on, what? Korra, there is nothing wrong with therapy.”

Korra places down the plate she has and turns around to look at Asami. They stare at each other for a moment before she sighs, “Just, let me call Tenzin first. I haven’t talked to him in a while. _Then_ , we can continue this conversation.”

While Korra calls Tenzin in her bedroom, Asami goes through her old files, finding the documents from the time she saw her therapist. After her mother died, her and her father enrolled in sessions with their own personal therapists and a family counselor. They stayed with the family counselor for a year and after that Hiroshi stopped his personal sessions as well. Asami kept up hers until she got to high school and hasn’t gone back since then. She’s thought about it, from time to time, but feels the years she spent with her therapist are substantial enough to continue not seeing them. However, if she felt she needed to, she would go back.

“Tenzin’s happy to hear from me,” Korra says after wrapping up her phone call. “Apparently he was with the whole family and they heard him say my name and everyone started freaking out. I think Tenzin’s eardrum is severely damaged after Ikki’s massive scream, I know mine hurts like hell right now.” She laughs, sitting next to Asami at the kitchen table.

Asami smiles, hoping to one day meet the family. They sound sweet and like good people and they seem important to Korra; Asami wants to know everyone that is important to her.

“Now, my therapist specialized more so in familial loss but I’m sure I can contact them and get directed to someone who’ll be able to help you more.”

Korra sighs, “About that,” she scratches at the back of her neck, “I really do appreciate the help, Asami, I know I don’t say it enough, but I really love everything you’ve done for me. And Tenzin is glad I’m _considering_ talking about what happened with me, but _if_ I do, I don’t think one on one sessions are really my thing. At least with a stranger, I don’t know.”

She begins to pick at the skin on her wrists and Asami stops her, smiling, “That’s okay, Korra, there are always other options and alternatives.” She grabs her laptop and opens a new window, “What about a support group? I don’t know of any around the area right now but we can look into some and see, maybe check out a few meetings at different ones and see which fits you best.”

She glances over at Korra when she receives no response and is met with blue eyes looking at her, softening with each breath she takes. Korra sighs as a grin forms on her face. She begins shaking her head, a full fledged smile appears. “What did I do to deserve someone like you in my life?”

Asami blushes furiously, “You’re you, Korra, that’s all.”

Korra takes her hands and gives them a reassuring squeeze, “Thanks, really Asami. Thank you.”

* * *

The next few days are filled with them researching nearby meeting areas of support groups and figuring out when to visit each one of them. Asami enjoys getting to create a calendar and organize the dates, times, locations, and names of the support groups they find. Korra’s grown quiet again, though Asami sees a glimmer of hope in her eyes every now and then that she hasn’t seen before.

The first couple of places are nice though Korra says she hasn’t found the ‘thing.’ Asami questions what the ‘thing’ is and Korra tells her, “I don’t know, the ‘thing’ is like you. I can’t explain what it is, but something about you, since the first time I met you, I’ve just known that you’re good, you’re a good person. I want to find that again, I want to find the ‘thing’.”

When Asami hears the statement, she fights the urge to grab Korra’s face and kiss her then and there because it’s not the time or place. Asami knows her feelings won’t go away but she can only hope that while Korra learns to love herself again, the girl can come to love her too.

After about two weeks of searching, Korra still doesn’t choose any of the places they’ve visited. Even after Asami widened their search, even after Asami brought her back to some of the same places again, Korra still doesn’t choose.

In fact, Korra doesn’t do anything.

At each meeting, the two sit together in the back and listen to each person share their story. Asami always looks at Korra when it’s time for someone else to go up but Korra usually doesn’t find her gaze and picks at the skin on her wrists. She wonders what Korra thinks as each person speaks at the podium, she wonders what Korra would say if she went up there. After the meeting is over, the two girls will grab some refreshments and a few of the speakers will be there. Asami always makes sure to go out of her way to say hello to them and thank them for sharing.

“What if you went this time?” Asami asks, as they exit her car for the newest support group meeting. 

This one is closer to Korra’s apartment and the cafe, an added bonus that Asami points out for when Korra returns back home. (Though, Asami secretly wishes the day will never come.)

Korra shrugs, “I don’t know.” She stuffs her hands in her jacket pockets and looks at the ground as they walk to the door of the dance studio. There are wide windows showing the dance classes of children. Asami watches as Korra takes a second to look at them before they walk down the staircase like the website had told them to.

It’s a large space underneath the dance studio and there are already a number of people. Some of them stand at the front, helping set up the podium and sound system they have, others converse with each other spread throughout the room. Asami lets Korra lead them to some seats in the back and they wait for the meeting to begin.

A few people go, everyone claps after each person has said their words. Asami had noticed a boy slowly make his way back to the two of them, finally sitting next to them as a familiar face walks up to the podium.

“Hey guys,” he starts. “Um, so, I know I’ve never really been good at these, the speeches and stuff, but it’s good to know you all are always here for me, for us.” He looks at the boy who’s joined her and Korra.

He talks about his parents, how their wedding anniversary had apparently passed. He can’t remember the date exactly, he hates himself for it. He’s tried for years and years to remember and he can remember the month, he can remember the chilly, late winter air and how his father took off the red scarf from his neck and wrapped it around him to keep him warm. He can remember having a stroll around the park, having lunch on the ground and paying more attention to the worms in the dirt than the food his mother had made them. He talks about how he worries his parents, wherever they are, look down at him in shame for not remembering something so significant.

He talks of his parents because he’s soon to graduate from college. He received an email from his advisor about graduation tickets. He tells everyone he had to respond saying he would only need one, not the four typically offered by the university. He wishes he’d need the other three, he wishes his parents were still around. He wishes the guilt of not remembering his parent’s anniversary would disappear because he believes his mother wouldn’t want him to be worrying. But he only wishes, he doesn’t know, and that’s the worst of it.

“Um, so, yeah,” he says, tapping the sides of the podium. “I was told we’re going to take a short break and we’ll come back with our next speaker.”

“That will be me!” the boy who’s joined Asami and Korra shouts. He waves his hand in the air and says hello to everyone around him.

“Yeah, yeah, Bolin, no need to shout.” The boy chuckles as he leaves the podium and light chatter begins to surface.

“Hey, do you work at a cafe?” the boy, Bolin, asks.

Korra turns to look at him and nods, “Peppermint hot chocolate and a chocolate chip cookie.” She chuckles, “Yeah, I work there.”

“I knew it!” he cheers. “I told Mako it had to be you, he said I shouldn’t assume but I needed to make sure I was right.” He smiles at the two of them, “I’m Bolin, by the way. And Mako is my brother, he’s the one who just spoke.”

Asami finds Mako talking to a few other attendees, “You guys must be regulars.”

Bolin nods, “We’ve been kind of on our own since our parents died. We jumped from foster to foster, but as soon as Mako was old enough for a job, he took us and ran. Brought us to Republic City and did some odd jobs here and there, he actually used to clean the floors upstairs, so we’re pretty tight with the owners. And then we got older and one of the owners reached out to us about joining the group, she said it’d be good for us, being around good, supportive people. Mako’s actually talking to both of them now.”

Korra and Asami both look towards Mako and suddenly Korra shoots up. She stares for a few moments before rushing over. Asami follows loosely behind and watches as Korra wraps her arms around the neck of one of the women. They squeeze each other tight and Asami watches as the woman rubs Korra’s back. They separate and the woman wipes tears off Korra’s face. She turns to Asami, arm still wrapped around the woman.

“Asami, this is Kya, Tenzin’s sister. She’s like an aunt to me, like another mom to me. I grew up with her in the South.”

Asami extends her hand but instead is met with a warm hug.

After they part, Kya turns to Korra, “It’s been, what, almost seven, eight years since I last saw you? You’ve grown up so much, and your hair! I can’t believe you cut it.” Kya takes the strands of her hair and runs her fingers through it, placing her hand on her cheek. She smiles and then turns to the woman next to her. “This is my wife, Lin.”

Lin places her arm around Kya’s waist and only nods, a small grin on her face. “It’s nice to meet you both.”

“Are we ready for the next speaker?” Someone comes up behind the group and Bolin happily runs to the podium and taps the microphone.

“Hello, hello? One, two, one, two, Mako likes to sing Lady Gaga in the shower, check, one, two.”

“Hey!”

Lin grabs hold of Mako’s shoulder and points to a chair. He sighs and sits down. Lin sits next to him, Kya next to her, and Korra takes Asami’s hand and they both sit down.

Bolin talks about school, it’s his sophomore year and he still can’t decide on a major. He’s enjoyed the few theatre courses he’s taken but is only able to attend the school on his soccer scholarship. He isn’t sure of what the school will think if he pursues a major outside of sports but he also knows the only reason he still plays soccer is for the money. He takes a long sigh and bites his cheek, admitting he’s always hated having to mooch off of others, namely his brother. And in this case, it’s no different; he’s mooching off the school but he has to, without the scholarship he won’t be able to pay for an education and if there’s anything he’s learned from his brother, it’s that education comes first. 

He’s sure Mako didn’t mean it as such, but Bolin’s always taken that sentiment as: _education comes first so that you can take care of yourself._ He huffs, explaining himself further. Mako’s always taken care of him, looked after him, out for him. He appreciates it, because he knows for a fact if he had to take care of himself growing up, he would be in a dumpster somewhere, deciding if he should take his chances eating around the mold he found on some sandwich. But, as they’ve gotten older, Bolin doesn’t want Mako to worry about him anymore, to have to look after him, to have to look out for him. They’re both grown and Bolin wants his brother to have the childhood he never had.

Bolin misses his parents too.

And with that, he sits down next to his brother as the applause echoes through the room. Kya looks to Korra, tilting her head towards the podium. The girl stares, tightening the grip she has on Asami’s hand. She lets out a shaky breath and shakes her head. Kya nods and places a hand on her shoulder for a moment before getting up.

“I think that’ll be it for tonight, thank you everyone for coming. Lee made his famous lemon bars so make sure you get one before they’re all out!”

Korra releases Asami’s hand and walks up to Kya. She watches as the two venture off to a more secluded part of the room.

“Will you guys be here again?” Bolin asks.

Asami looks once more to Korra. Kya holds her hand and she isn’t sure of what they’re talking about. She sees Korra smiling and turns to him, “I think so.”

That night, Asami stays with Korra in the living room. They’ve watched a movie, one that neither of them really pay attention to, because Korra recounts memory after memory of her time with Kya in the south. One about seal racing, another about connecting with the spirit world, one about narrowly escaping punishment for being out far past curfew. (She was eleven and while Kya had insisted she bring her home, Korra pleaded to stay with the woman a few hours longer. Kya later explained to her parents she lost track of time. She’s never been sure if her parents bought the lie, only that all she got was a stern talking to about always being on time.) 

Asami smiles, glad to hear Korra’s voice so animated. That night, Korra brings them to Asami’s room, cuddling under the covers, booping the tip of Asami’s nose. She lays on her back and stares at the ceiling. She opens her arm, looking to Asami and motioning for her to come closer. She listens, resting her head on Korra’s chest. The girl has started wearing less hoodies and taken up long sleeves. The material, while still loose, is tighter than the hoodies and Asami can feel the muscles in her arms. She falls asleep with a smile on her face and wakes up with the same one, even though Korra isn’t there.

When she goes into the kitchen, Korra asks her to stop by her apartment to grab a few things before she comes home from school. Asami happily accepts, taking the list Korra’s written and the list she has rewritten, since Korra’s handwriting is barely legible. She unlocks Korra’s door, grabbing more of the dog food and another of her sketch pads, as well as more clothes. 

As she’s about to leave, there’s a knock on the door. She opens it to see a tall, bald man. He has a small, pointy beard, and is taken back to see her. _Huh, he does kind of look like the temple._

“Oh, um, hello,” he starts, straightening out his coat. “I’m looking for Korra, is she home?”

Asami grins, “Are you Tenzin? I’m Asami.”

She extends her hand and he happily takes it, a sigh of relief releases from his mouth, “I’ve heard so much about you, Asami. So, is she home? I’d like to speak with her.”

“She’s not actually, she hasn’t been staying here,” Asami says but she moves out of the way for Tenzin to come in. “She’s been with me for a couple weeks now, I can assure you she’s all right. She’s actually been better.”

They sit down at her dining table and Asami continues.

“The therapist idea was a no go but I’ve been bringing her to some support groups that meet throughout the city, I think we found the one last night. It’s actually your sister’s, she’s great by the way.”

Tenzin nods, “Yes, I forgot about Lin using the basement of her dance studio as a support group space. She formed it years ago with Kya, after an accident with her old job.” Tenzin looks at Asami with a warm grin, “You’ve been very good to her, to Korra. She talks about you a lot.”

She blushes, pushing back part of her hair. “It’s nothing really, Korra’s great and I just want to help her get better.”

“Well, I would like to thank you,” Tenzin says, sitting forward. “Korra has started calling me regularly again, the last time she did that was when she moved off the island. Even then, it was barely a minute phone call. Whatever it is you’re doing, however you’re helping her, I can see how much it’s affecting her in the best way possible.”

Asami smiles.

“I’m starting to see more of that stubborn, head-strong girl I’ve known for years. It’s a shame, what happened with Zaheer. She never deserved to be in the cross fires and we’ve all been trying to help her. I’m glad she has you, Asami.”

She nods, “It’s good to know she’s getting better. And it’s good to know she’s talking to you more. I’m usually away for most of the day, I’m still in school. I always wonder what she does while I’m gone and if it’s talking to you, then I can relax a little more.”

The two talk for a little while longer before Tenzin excuses himself. His phone rings and it’s Pema. Asami can hear the children screaming through the phone. They say their goodbyes and Asami takes a slow, content breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [chapter three analysis](https://riceccakes.tumblr.com/post/637440312449630208/earth-wind-and-coffee-chapter-three-analysis)  
> thank you for reading, for commenting, for kudos, bookmarks, subscriptions, truly all of it. this story is my little brain child, what i consider my first major writing project in years that's going to be fully fleshed out and finished, and i'm happy to get to share it with all you wonderful people.  
> i'll see you guys for the next one soon :)) xx


	4. A Well Deserved Jab, a Much Needed Conversation, and a Good Night's Sleep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here it is. the fourth chapter, the longest chapter, the final chapter. i can't even explain the joy i have in sharing the ending of this lil brain child i brought to life. thank you so much to everyone who's read, who's left comments and kudos, who's subscribed and bookmarked. you all are wonderful people and i couldn't be happier to share my story with a community like you guys.  
> enjoy the final installment of Earth, Wind, and Coffee xx

Asami wakes up. Korra isn’t next to her but she doesn’t smell the usual coffee the morning brings. It’s dark so she finds her phone and sees it’s 2 AM. She sits up, rubbing her eyes and looking around the room. She hears Naga snoring, her bedroom door is slightly open. She gets up, stumbling to her door, calling out Korra’s name as she licks her lips.

Walking out, she hears faint whimpers and sees Korra sitting on the ground. With her sketch book in her lap, she quickly wipes tears away as Asami comes to sit next to her.

“What are you doing up?” Korra sniffles with wet streaks on her cheeks. Asami wraps her arm around her shoulder and places her head on the girl’s.

“You were gone, it was cold.”

Korra lets out an uneasy chuckle, she means it but she’s still shaken.

“Honey, you can wake me up, when something happens. I won’t mind.”

Korra nods, “Asami....I know, but I don’t want to. You should get your sleep.”

“So should you.”

There have been better days than this one. Days where Korra blows up Asami’s phone with funny Instagram posts she finds while Asami’s at school, days where she invites Mako and Bolin over and the four of them play board games, days where Korra asks if they can go out for a walk and she excitedly explores the area around Asami’s apartment. There have been worse days than this one. Days where Korra won’t get out of bed, days where Korra won’t speak, days where Korra won’t even look at Asami and she has to see that glossed over gaze gawk out the glass window.

She isn’t sure if she’s navigating it right, if she’s being there for Korra the way she needs to be. The support group meetings have been helping, and though Korra has yet to speak at one, Asami always sees a change in her behavior the night of and the morning after. Korra laughs more, Korra moves more, Korra eats just a few bites of food with Asami before she leaves for school. The boys have been good to both of them, never pushing Korra to open up, but always being around, even when it’s not needed. They’ve come over many times, watching movies, playing games, trying to bring food Korra will eat. Asami keeps an eye on Korra’s plate, kindly watching the fork be brought up to her mouth, making sure the girl swallows. It’s not much, Korra never finishes her portion, but at least now a sliver of the plate is empty.

Asami reaches out for Korra’s sketch pad, looking at what she’s drawn this time. It’s snowy, the South Pole. Korra goes on to explain it’s her favorite place down south, a section of land perfect for ice fishing. Her father brought her there many times, it’s one of their bonding places.

“Can I hang it up?”

Korra carefully tears the page out of the book and gives it to Asami. She stands up and looks for the newest spot. Over the weeks Korra has been over, Asami has decorated her apartment with all the drawings Korra lets her put up. There are a few on the fridge, others put on a corkboard. Asami puts her hand out for Korra and they walk back to the bedroom. Asami grabs a picture frame, it’s of her and her father at a previous gala. She bites her lip, upturning her nose, replacing it with the drawing. She places the previous picture in one of her desk drawers and puts the frame back in its spot. 

Asami walks to the bed, Korra has already gotten back in. Asami grins while pushing Korra’s hair back, letting her finger trace down her chin. Korra lets out a sigh, taking her eyes off the girl.

She’s frowning, her fingertips gently gliding up Asami’s arm, “It’s always of that night, I still feel the zip ties.”

Korra’s fingers follow back down and grab hold of Asami’s hand. She brings herself closer to the girl and Asami does the same. She tries to push back her own tears. Korra doesn’t need any of that but it's the first time she’s spoken about the nightmares Asami knows she’s having. It’s not much, it’s barely anything, but it’s also everything; to Asami, it’s _everything._

She wakes up again, this time to the smell of coffee. She walks out to the kitchen, immediately met with arms wrapped around her waist. She spares no time in reacting, tucking her head into Korra’s neck and inhaling the warm vanilla scent. Her hair is pulled back into a little ponytail, using one of Asami’s scrunchies no less, and the sleeves of her long sleeve are rolled up. They slowly start swaying, back and forth. Asami giggles into Korra’s neck as the shorter girl tickles her sides. They part and Korra’s smiling.

“Better night?” Asami questions.

Korra nods, “Better night.”

She’s sad she has to leave the girl once again, though it won’t be too long until graduation. Not that she thinks Korra will still be living with her by then, but the thought of the girl moving in is one Asami entertains herself to a lot.

“Kuvira’s coming over today,” Korra says.

Asami rolls her eyes, “I swear, I should’ve never let you two be friends. I don’t even know what other stories she has up her sleeves.”

Korra chuckles, “The fondue story is going to be hard to top.”

Asami gasps, “It was a faulty machine and I had cheese stuck in my hair for days! It is _not_ a funny story.”

Korra masks her laughter by letting her head rest in the girl’s neck, wrapping her arms around Asami’s waist once more. “I like hugging you,” she hums against her skin.

Asami never wants to leave this spot. “I like hugging you, too.” It’s too bad she has class.

In between her classes, Asami stops at the coffee kiosk to get her usual. She leaves a tip in the jar, spotting Bolin talking to a girl on a bench across the courtyard. As Asami begins to walk towards them, Bolin waves and the girl turns around; it’s Opal. 

“Hey Asami, I was just about to leave, but,” he drags out the last word. “Asami Sato, Opal Beifong. Opal Beifong, Asami Sato.”

They wave at each other, though Asami doesn’t know if she looks at all suspicious. Now knowing her past with Kuvira, she doesn’t know how to act. 

“You’ll be at the game tonight, yeah?” Bolin asks, looking between both girls.

Asami nods, “I will, I’m not sure about Korra.”

Bolin gives a resigned nod. Opal tells the boy she’ll be there and Asami watches as the two kiss each other on the cheek. It sends a sharp pang to Asami’s heart. She doesn’t show it though, accepting Bolin’s tight hug and watching him leave. She turns back to Opal.

“The boys have been telling me all about you and Korra,” Opal says. She removes her bag and places it on the ground next to her, “Wanna take a seat?”

Asami sits down, uncomfortably trying to look comfortable. “Yeah, we’ve gotten pretty close the past few weeks.”

Opal smiles, “Well, next time you hang out, I hope I get an invitation. I’ve been around _boys_ for too long.”

They share a small laugh.

“I’ll have to see with Korra, we’re all kind of letting her take the lead with everything.”

“Yeah, the boys didn’t say much but they also don’t know too much either,” Opal responds. She looks down at her fingers then back to Asami, “I promise I don’t bite, if that will at all be a selling point to Korra.” She smiles, eyes darting from her to the ground. 

Asami isn’t sure of what’s making Opal so nervous, whether it’s being around someone new or dancing around the fact that she knows Asami has been around Kuvira for three years. The girl is timid but from what she’s heard from Mako and Bolin, and even from Kuvira when she gets to talking about her, she’s sweet.

Asami smiles, “I’ll be sure to pass along the message to her.”

A silence falls over them and Asami wishes one wouldn’t. She’s in no place to bring up Kuvira, though her mind is coming up blank on things to talk about.

“How is that support group? I’ve never been.”

Asami thanks the girl in her mind, “It’s nice, the people there really are so incredible. It’s a good thing we found it, I mean, at the very least in finding Mako and Bolin.” She perks up, “How’d you meet them?”

Opal muses, “First day of classes last year, Bolin kind of almost ran me over. He was rushing to find his next class, he barely noticed me. Turned out we were going to the same building and he was heading in the opposite direction. After that, he introduced me to Mako and the rest is history.”

“What’s your major here?”

“Social justice, hopefully with a concentration in Child Services and the foster system.”

Asami smiles.

“Beifong!”

The two turn and see Tahno leaning against a tree. Iroh’s with him, glaring at Asami. Her blood begins to boil but she pushes it back, he’s not worth it. She watches as the boy slowly licks his lips, his glare turning into a smize and he winks at her. Asami does not hide her gag.

“Let’s go.”

Opal gathers her things and smiles, “It was really nice meeting you, officially, Asami. You can ask one of the boys for my number.”

Asami watches as the girl leaves with them, playfully pushing them both, though the contact barely phases either of them. Meanwhile, a little push from Tahno has Opal stumbling back a few steps. Iroh returns the favor and taps her shoulder, Opal shuffles in the other direction, latching onto Tahno for support. Asami can hear their laughter even as they walk further and further away. 

She wonders how Opal is really friends with them.

Asami goes through the rest of her school day, receiving texts from Korra and Kuvira; it’s pictures of them out walking Naga. Asami is glad the two girls get along so well but she doesn’t appreciate the girls teaming up to say jokes about her. However, the night always finishes with Kuvira leaving and Korra giggling into Asami’s neck, saying it was all just happy fun. They bring a side out of each other Asami hasn’t seem much of; a crazy, fun, spontaneous side. Kuvira has always been reserved, she has wit beyond compare, but she always keeps herself in a put together manner. It’s of course due to her job, when Hiroshi had appointed her his new head of security and bodyguard, the woman was met with much backlash. She had to prove she was more than capable of having this role, so showing off a more intimidating, taciturn demeanor was her way of doing so.

Korra on the other hand, Asami wonders if this is how she’s always been; before coming to the city, before the attack. Tenzin called her a stubborn, head-strong girl; Asami had only seen a quiet, untalkative girl. Sure, Korra has shown she’s uneasy to sway, that once she makes a decision there’s no going back, but only ever in small things. Asami can never get the girl to speak at the support group meetings; she’ll gently squeeze the her hand, rubbing her thumb on her skin. Korra will bring her eyes to her and Asami will grin, eyes darting from her to the podium and then back. Korra always grins, a small breath escaping her nose, and she squeezes her hand back but shakes her head no. 

Asami has spoken to Tenzin more as well, he asked Korra to meet him in Kyoshi Park and she finally accepted. He may have been able to snoop long enough in Korra’s phone to find Asami’s number. The two have talked over the phone, mostly of Korra, and Tenzin mentions how he’s happy to see more of her usual hijinks and shenanigans. Asami has slowly found more of Korra’s humor, usually a sort of sarcastic remark about her or their friends: calling Mako the Lightning Thief and trying to hide it in his eyebrows, saying Bolin never needs to worry about his acting, but more so his appearance onstage (“That is _not_ your color.” “Hey! It was for the part!” “And what’s up with the mustache? Where in Romeo and Juliet has it ever said Romeo has facial hair?” “That was a personal choice that sets me aside from other actors!” “Isn’t Romeo like sixteen, no way he can grow a full mustache like that. Ha! Look, it’s falling off your face.”) (Bolin brought past tapes of his college performances), she’d made little comments about Asami and her work ethic all through making the presentation.

But, has the girl always been a jokester? A prankster? The comments only go for so long before Korra curls back up and keeps to herself the rest of the night, and they only ever happen every so often, so how is Asami to know?

She sometimes wonders what it could’ve been like to know that girl before, the girl before all the trauma, the girl before all the fear, all the nightmares, but then she thinks, would she even have met Korra at all if the attack didn’t happen? She always talks so happily about the South, about her parents and the tribe, it never seems like she wanted to leave at all. Asami has never thought about going to any of the Water Tribes, she doesn’t know anyone from the North or South, and she’s never been too big a fan of the cold weather, so would their paths have crossed if Korra never experienced what she had?

Asami will never, _ever_ say she’s happy that the Red Lotus attack happened, but, it’s what brought Korra to her. It’s what brought more friends to her, it’s what brought her to see her father isn’t as great and almighty as she’d grown up to believe. How could she ever thank something so horrible for bringing about all these life changing things in her life?

She stops herself, responding to both Korra’s and Kuvira’s texts with smiley faces. 

She calls Korra, waiting on the rings as she collects her things from her last class of the day.

“Hi,” Korra sings, “how were classes today?”

“Oh, the usual,” Asami waves goodbye to her professor and walks out of the classroom. “So, that soccer game tonight?”

Korra makes a small noise, “There’s gonna be a lot of people right? I don’t really know, large crowds....”

She doesn’t finish her thought but Asami doesn’t let her dwell on it. “That’s okay, honey, I just wanted to check. Is Kuvira still around? I wouldn’t want you to be home alone all night.”

Asami feels butterflies in her stomach, saying the pet name, saying ‘home’ as if it’s theirs, not just her apartment.

“I think so, we were talking about the gym and working out earlier and I told her I’ve been wanting to get back into it. I kinda stopped after it all, so,” Korra gulps. “Um, anyways, she said she’d help me start with some small stuff before I get back to real deal lifting.”

Asami smiles, “That sounds great. I’m sure it won’t be long though, I’ve seen what your arms can do.” She recalls the nights where she’s fallen asleep on the couch next to Korra, how she’s lazily woken up in the girl’s arms bringing her to her room. She remembers all the times Korra has easily lifted Naga up, holding the canine in her arms like a baby.

Korra laughs, “Yeah, yeah, I get it, I still have arms.”

Asami still hasn’t seen the muscles, Korra still wears long sleeves, though the material has slowly gotten tighter and tighter. Not that Asami _wants_ to see more of Korra’s skin, and not that Asami _doesn’t_ want to see more of Korra’s skin, but she wonders when the girl will let up with the clothing, especially as the warm spring air approaches.

“Okay, I’m gonna stay on campus and then go to the game, so I should be home around 9.”

“Have fun, tell the guys I say good luck.”

“Absolutely, see you tonight.”

“See you.”

She quickly gets some homework done before heading towards the arena. She does as Opal asked, texting Bolin for her number. He responds with a keyboard smash, expressing how excited he is that they’ve become friends now too. Asami asks Opal if she’s already there and finds her sitting near the front of the stands. The second time around is much easier for the two to talk, mostly of school and the boys, but thankfully no silent pauses where Asami has to bite her tongue from mentioning Kuvira’s name.

The game begins and the senior boys run onto the field first. Asami cheers for Mako and Mako alone, making it very apparent as he, Iroh, and Tahno all run together. She sees Opal look at her from the corner of her eye but she doesn’t mind it. Bolin is towards the back and they both scream at the top of their lungs when they spot him. His face was worried but when he hears the two girls, he lightens up and waves. They’re playing Chin Village College, a rather small and undoubtedly bad team. They haven’t won a single game their entire season and not too long ago received a 9-0 shutout from Omashu University. The boys will have no problem playing.

Or so Asami thinks.

Even before the coin toss, the odds favor RCU. This hasn’t changed, but while Asami thought she’d be watching Mako, Bolin, and the rest of the varsity soccer team play, Iroh has other plans. From the get go, Iroh stays with the ball, screaming for it to be passed to him, then sprinting down the field to score the first goal. He runs down the length of the field again, pounding his chest. The game is reset to the middle of the field and the CVC players pass the ball amongst themselves only for it to be overtaken by Tahno. He takes the ball out from one player, swiftly kicking with his left foot across the field towards Mako. Only, before it can reach him, Iroh comes out and takes it, weaving in and out between players and easily scoring another goal. 

Asami watches as Mako sighs, running a hand through his hair but patting Iroh’s back.

After halftime, the score is 5-1. Iroh scored a rather obnoxious hat trick, teasing the CVC goalie before easily sliding the ball in. He ripped his shirt off for that one, pounding his chest and jumping up on the fence to face his school. He pointed at Asami, chest puffing in and out, winking. Asami winced, wishing she didn’t have to deal with his behavior. It was bad enough watching Iroh curse out their goalie for letting an easy goal happen, she didn’t need any of his antics directed towards her.

Bolin is put in during the second half, trying his hardest to shine but is shut down by Iroh. Asami could tell Bolin was trying to go for an assist, he brought the ball forward, passing it to Iroh, expecting him to pass it right back so that he could get the goal. What happens instead is Iroh taking it all the way and scoring another goal for himself. 

He doesn’t even thank Bolin for giving him the ball, instead he bows towards the crowd and stands proudly as Tahno comes up behind him and throws himself onto the leading scorer. 

The coach takes Iroh out for the last few minutes of the game, seeing that the score is now 7-1 and Iroh has scored almost all of them. Asami finally gets to watch the boys play, seeing their dynamic of Bolin’s speed with Mako’s fancy footwork. It’s enough for Bolin to score the last goal of the game, immediately running up to Mako and bringing him in for a hug. The rest of the team joins them, Asami watches as Iroh slowly lags behind, unamused.

Opal stands up, “Come on, let’s go congratulate them.”

Asami furrows her eyebrows, “Does this happen every game? Iroh hogging the ball?”

The girl lets out a long sigh, “More often than not, yes. The boys have asked him for seasons to pass the ball but usually he doesn’t. He’s a good scorer but I know Mako and Bolin want more ball time.”

“So, can I why you’re friends with Iroh and Tahno anyways?”

Opal chuckles, “Hm, why do you ask? A little surprised?”

Asami chokes up, unsure if Opal is even better friends with the two than she led herself to believe, “Well, I, I just mean, you’re so sweet and they’re so--”

“Not?” She lets out another chuckle, “After I met Mako, he invited me to a party for the soccer team and we all just kind of grouped together and been that way since.”

They follow the crowds of people towards the exit of the stadium but Opal turns her heel. Asami, a bit stunned, goes with her.

“Opal!” Bolin comes crashing up to them and takes Opal in a big hug, swinging them around. “Did you see that goal?!”

Mako comes up to Asami and she pats his shoulder, “Good job with that footwork, I could barely keep up from the stands, I can’t imagine being a CVC player on the field.”

He chuckles, “Thanks, and thanks for coming.” He looks past the girl a few times, “No Korra?”

She shakes her head. Mako sighs, his shoulders falling. 

“Asami.” She turns around and sees Iroh without his shirt on. He’s smiling, walking up to her with all the confidence in the world, “It’s been a while, haven’t seen you in the office.”

She purses her lips, “I’ve been using some personal hours.”

She goes to turn away but Iroh takes her wrist.

“Liked what you saw out there?” The grip is unwanted and she goes to take her arm away. She’s able to wiggle out of his hand but Iroh continues forward, swerving to stand in front of her, “Like what you see right now?”

She rolls her eyes, “I’d appreciate a shirt, Iroh.”

He nods, “You can have mine if you like.”

Asami realizes she’s been backed into a corner and her breath hitches in her throat. She tries to move out of the way but Iroh has his hands against the wall on both sides of her. He’s eerily close; she can smell sweat and cologne and she wants out. Iroh starts talking again but Asami is looking for something to break her free, some way to escape this position.

“Oh, Asami, there you are!”

Iroh glares behind his shoulder, taking a step back as Bolin comes up to them. Asami sprints towards the boy, quickly falling into his arms. His hands hesitate before landing on Asami’s back, he rubs up and down, having a concerned look when they pull apart. He looks to where Iroh is but the shirtless soccer player is already leaving.

“Asami, what--”

“Good job out there,” she cuts in. “That last goal was great.”

His eyes soften and he looks between hers before sighing, “Thanks Asami. It means a lot to see you in the stands. You like Opal, yeah? Isn’t she great?”

Asami nods.

She opts out of the post game celebration; one, so that she can go home and finally be with Korra again, and two, because she can’t stand to be in the same vicinity as Iroh anymore. She hugs the boys and Opal goodbye then eagerly drives home.

After unlocking the door, she places her keys in the glass bowl, says hello to Naga, then calls out Korra’s name. There’s no response. She quickly places her things down on the kitchen table, looking around. Korra isn’t in the living room, nor her bedroom or bathroom. She pulls out her phone, no messages. She calls the girl, hearing the phone ring but then also Korra’s ringtone. She follows the sound and sees it’s on her nightstand. 

She lets out a long sigh, trying to figure out where she could be. Asami got a text from Kuvira a few hours ago, saying she left, and she didn’t mention bringing Korra with her. Maybe she’s with the boys? It’s a big maybe, but how would Korra have gotten to the restaurant anyways? Maybe a Satotaxi? But, why hadn’t she let Asami know?

Now, she feels her breath start to speed up. Korra doesn’t _have_ to let her know where she is, there’s no obligation to. This is so unlike Korra, though, at least as of recent. If she were going out, it’d always be with Asami, unless Kuvira or the boys were around and neither of them are. If Naga weren’t home, she’d know that Korra is just bringing the dog out for her late night pee, but Naga was waiting by the door when she came home.

Korra wouldn’t just leave, would she? Not without her phone, but maybe this was her way of showing Asami, _“I mean it this time, don’t talk to me again."_ The girl was getting better though, she’s been happier and smiling more and there’s still nightmares and bad days and Korra hasn’t fully opened up but at least she’s been letting loose. Could Korra really choose to go?

_No._

Asami takes her phone again and calls Tenzin.

“Good evening, Asami.”

“Hi Tenzin, are you with Korra?”

She hears kids on the other end and the background sound slowly dwindles, “I’m sorry, what was that? The kids are having a field day with game night tonight.”

She gulps, “Are you home? Is Korra with you?”

“No, Korra is not here. Is everything all right?”

Her body starts to heat up. All she wanted was to come home to her favorite girl. “I just got home but she’s not here. She left her phone, I don’t know where she is.”

“Don’t worry,” Tenzin says, “I’m sure she’s all right. I know it’s not much, but I wouldn’t worry. Korra--”

Asami hears the front door open and she instantly drops her phone, running towards the sound. Korra stands in the doorway, placing the key in the glass bowl, and is surprised when she’s met with arms around her neck.

“Oh, hey.”

The girl is slicked in sweat and she smells like outside. Asami doesn’t care, keeping her grip tight around her and her eyes closed shut. Korra returns the gesture and lifts her up so that they can go inside and the door can close.

“I thought I’d be home before you,” she says into Asami’s skin. “I went for a run after Kuvira showed me some good arm workouts. I was about to check the time but I must’ve forgotten my phone after unplugging it from the charger.” She chuckles, “Then I got a little lost…”

Asami doesn’t let up with her hug.

Korra chuckles, “Hey, I’m sorry.” She rubs the girl’s back, “How was the game?”

Asami groans, remembering Iroh and finally letting go. She opens her eyes and looks at Korra, her jaw dropping slightly. Korra stands in a pair of shorts and a short sleeve shirt. Asami stares at the shape of her arms, the muscular build of them, and her eyes rest on the ink on the girl’s arm peeking out from the fabric.

“I didn’t know you have a tattoo.”

Korra looks to her right arm and nods, “Oh, yeah, it’s Water Tribe. I got it a long time ago, matches my dad.”

Asami immediately goes to touch the pattern of triangles on her bicep. She pulls the tee shirt sleeve out of the way to get a better look. Some of the triangles have a circle at the end. She has no idea what it means but it’s lovely.

Korra laughs and Asami realizes what she’s doing. She pulls back, growing increasingly pink. 

“Sorry, again, I really thought I’d be home before you.”

Asami grins, loving to see that lopsided smile, “It’s okay.” She keeps her eyes with Korra’s, noting how the blue looks richer than ever before. “Oh shit, Tenzin!”

Asami finds her phone and quickly tells Tenzin Korra’s home and ends the call. Korra has followed behind her, her eyebrows furrowing.

“Why’d you groan when I asked about the game? They lose? Mako was saying this would be an easy win.”

“No, they won,” Asami replies. She pushes part of her hair back, biting the inside of her lip. “I just, I had to deal with Iroh. It’s not a big deal.”

“Iroh? That asshole? What do you mean deal with him?”

Korra has come right up to Asami, hands resting on her forearms. She’s searching Asami’s eyes, though Asami doesn’t want to meet the ocean blues.

Asami shakes her head, “Korra, it’s okay. He’s just been very persistent about going out with me since I’ve met him, but it’s fine. Nothing I haven’t handled before.”

Korra lets her hands find Asami’s and she pouts, “Well, he should know to stop. No jackass like him could ever deserve you.”

Asami sighs, finally looking into Korra’s eyes. She can’t help but smile and as she does, Korra does the same. They hug one last time before the girl heads to the shower.

The next night is the support group meeting. Asami and Korra go through their usual routine: heading to bed together, Asami waking up to the smell of coffee, a few classes on campus and then returning in the late afternoon. Korra makes a point of texting Asami that her phone is charged and she’s taking Naga out for a run. This makes Asami smile, the gesture is cute. Korra is cute so it’s no surprise to her.

They eat dinner before leaving, Asami sees how the sliver of food has grown wider in size. Korra is energized, she tells Asami about her run today on the drive to the dance studio. Korra boasts about this time not getting lost in the streets of Republic City and she’s already starting to feel stronger.

Mako and Bolin wait outside the dance studio entrance. Korra is already congratulating them on their team’s win, which Bolin goes straight into explaining his goal of the night. Asami watches as Mako looks towards them with a content grin.

The group helps set up the basement space, Bolin and Asami assist in the sound system while Korra and Mako set up the refreshment tables. Asami glances over her shoulder, seeing the two fight about where the drinks should go and how to display the plates before they stop and laugh together. Mako’s hand rests on Korra’s and Asami pulls away before she can see anything else. She focuses on her breathing, on finding the error in the signal chain for the PA system, and feels her body settle.

A few speakers go before Bolin jumps up to the podium. He’s got the biggest smile on his face and once again recounts the soccer game. He expresses how happy he is to get to share the season with his brother and how he’ll be sad next year when Mako won’t be on the field with him.

“I learned it all from you,” he says, looking right at him. “Thanks for everything.”

He steps down and hugs Mako, smacking his back, and the two laugh. The older brother pats Bolin’s shoulder and steps up to the podium. 

“Things have been looking up recently,” he says. “The game was pretty good and we still have a few more before the season’s over. I’ve been feeling really good lately, I guess I could owe it all to a few people.”

Mako looks towards them, Bolin, Korra, and Asami sit together in a row. Asami notes how Mako’s eyes stay on Korra.

“I don’t really have much to say, but I just wanted to share.”

He sits back down and there’s some light stirring in the room. No one from the crowd moves, a few coughs echo and throats are cleared. Asami lets her thumb run up and down Korra’s hand, the movement is subconscious more than anything. She looks at their arms, both bare, she notes the feeling of Korra’s wrist on hers, how their elbows lightly touch, how their biceps rest on each other. She stares at the difference in their skin, how the shades are stark in appearance yet it’s the greatest pairing Asami can think of. She feels Korra’s grip start to loosen, the heat of her arm leaves, and her eyes immediately dart up to the girl’s face.

Korra’s already let go of her hand and is taking a deep breath, slowly making her way up to the front. She gingerly takes her place behind the microphone, looking towards the group with an unsteady grin.

“Um, hi, everyone. I’m Korra, I’ve been coming here for a few weeks now.” She scratches the back of her neck, “You all are really cool for being able to come up here and talk, and I don’t really know if there’s any right way to do this but I’ll just go, I guess.”

She lets out an uneasy chuckle. Asami can feel her eyes start to water.

“I started running again. I was just telling my best friend about it earlier, I forgot how good it feels. The wind against my face, the burning feeling in my lungs.” She laughs when she hears a few people snicker, “Yeah, yeah, _she must be insane_ , right? _How could anyone like running?”_ She laughs again, “I used to race my dad in the South and at one point it just became something I loved doing, competition or not. I want to start lifting again but I have to start small. I’ll admit my ego is a little scuffed now that I have to resort to the fifteen pound weights but I know I have to so I don’t hurt myself.”

Her hands rest on the base of the podium and Asami knows she’s picking at her wrists. She wipes her eyes, quietly trying to sniffle as Korra continues.

“I stopped with the gym and everything about a year ago, um, after this attack. My dad’s Chief in the South and I had a power hungry uncle who couldn’t share and he ordered some group of hitmen, or something, to kill my dad. It didn’t work out but their leader tried to use me as leverage to get my dad to step down.”

Korra’s eyes stay glued to her hands. Asami tries her hardest to stay put and not run up to the girl to get her to stop with her wrists.

“I was sleeping and all of sudden my dog starts barking and I’m half asleep and I feel someone take me. And, my first instinct is to fight, so I do that, and by now I’m fully awake and realize who it is and I’m trying to get away from him but he pinned me to the ground and put zip ties on my hands. Sometimes, I,” she gulps, “feel like they’re still there.” After a moment, she sighs, forcing her hands down to her sides, “I have nightmares about it, have been for a whole year. It always starts the same way, in my room in the South, the fighting, then the zip ties, and then my body goes numb...I still tried to fight, even with the zip ties, so to stop me, he injected me with what was believed to be a bear tranquilizer.”

Asami wishes Korra could’ve told her she was ready to speak tonight, she would’ve worn her waterproof mascara.

“I wasn’t in control, I had no control over myself, and I’d never experienced something like that. It was terrifying and it’s the same in the nightmares, I have no control.” Korra chests start to puff harder and she hasn’t looked up at the support group once. “And since the attack, I’ve tried so hard to be in control of every last thing, and I’ve failed miserably. I’ve been a mess, a _literal mess,_ and I was starting to worry I might never get better but,” her face lifts and her eyes are on right Asami, “sometimes surprises are better than plans.”

“I’ve been really lucky the past few months, and especially the last few weeks, to have found this place and get so many great friends. I’m not a hundred percent but I’m definitely not at negative seventy three percent anymore so I’ll take that as a win.”

The support group laughs. Asami wishes she had more tissues in her bag, she’s been having to share them with Bolin.

“Um, yeah,” Korra says. “I guess that’s all I really wanna say right now. I can’t reveal everything to you guys, at least not all at once. I hear I’ve built up this reputation of having an _air of mystery_ to myself so I intend to keep that up.”

She laughs and thanks the group, walking back over to her seat. Asami has tried her hardest to look decent but she knows she looks like a wreck. As Korra approaches, she chuckles at her friends, ruffling Bolin’s hair as she passes him, then quickly finding Asami’s hands as she sits next to her.

Asami can’t hide the smile on her face, she swears her face will forever stay that way. Korra grins back at her, squeezing her hand before turning to listen to the next speaker.

At the end of the night, Kya finds Korra and hugs her tight. Members of the support group walk up to them, cautiously saying hello. Korra holds onto Kya but says hi to them. Asami watches from the refreshments table, undoubtedly filled with pride. Korra has finally done it and Asami didn’t even need to ask. She thinks back to the first time she met Korra, the unamused barista, she thinks of the night at the docks where Korra told her about the attack, she thinks about the night of Korra’s panic attack. She thinks of all these instances where she’s sure Korra had felt so useless and frail, but Asami knows she’s always been strong. She was strong enough to face the world amidst her pain, strong enough to confide in Asami, and now stronger than ever, able to speak about the attack at a greater length.

By Raava, does Asami love her.

A few days later, Korra suggests the crew go out. The girl has been on almost a high, regularly running, getting more sleep (though not through the night), even eating a whole quarter of the food on her dinner plate. Asami is more than pleased to hear the request, so she sets up a nice outing for them. An early afternoon walk around Kyoshi Park in the lovely, early spring air is first on the itinerary.

Bolin brings a soccer ball, suggesting a few rounds of dribbling between them. The four get a great handle together, slowly forming pairings to see if they can score on each other. Asami pairs with Mako, deciding his footwork would be more beneficial than Bolin’s speed, and puts it to the test when Korra tries to defend her half of the play area. Asami and Bolin use their bags as goal posts for one side while Korra and Mako lay down their extra layer of clothing for the other side. Asami passes the ball to Mako before Bolin can make any moves and he slowly starts to creep towards the goal guarded by Korra. She leans over, meticulously watching the ball, hoping to pounce and get it away from him.

Asami’s decision pays off; Mako fakes left, opening up Korra’s right side, and when she spreads her feet apart to cover more ground, Mako taps it through her legs. She groans, pushing Mako’s shoulder and getting the ball that rolled a few feet back. Mako sits down, tapping out for the time being and Asami does the same. Bolin and Korra continue passing to each other, leaving the two for a bigger piece of land to pass the ball.

Mako leans on his hands. Asami takes the water bottle she brought out of her bag and takes a sip.

“So, I asked out Korra.”

Asami chokes, coughing loudly and closing her water bottle. She hears Mako laugh as she continues coughing, gasping for air in between each one. He rubs her back and pats it lightly, still laughing.

“Don’t go dying on me there, Sato,” he says. Asami gulps, staring at him. He grins, “She said no.”

Asami lets out a relieved sigh. It’s her body’s natural response and she quickly covers her face, now red. She shouldn’t be so happy. “I’m sorry to hear,” she lies right through her teeth and Mako knows it.

“Oh, sure you are,” he lets out an easy chuckle and gazes back over to his brother and the girl they talk about. They’ve started juggling the ball, Bolin easily shows Korra some basic moves. She struggles at first but quickly improves. He pauses, smiling as they can hear the two laughing loudly and cheering each other on. “I’d been reading it all wrong, she’s a great girl but I thought all the joking and the sarcasm was flirting or something. I asked if she said no cause she wasn’t ready, with still recovering and everything, and she told me that was part of it.” He looks at Asami, “She also said there’s someone else.”

Asami furrows her eyebrows, _Someone else? Someone from home in the South? She’s never mentioned anyone from the South other than her family, but then again, it’s not like relationships ever came up in conversation for us._

“Hello, anyone home?” Mako waves a hand in front of her face and Asami is brought back to reality.

“Um, sorry,” she answers. She bites at her cheek, “Did she happen to mention who this someone else might be?” Her breath hitches in her throat, “Just, cause, you know, we need to make sure they’re good for her. And that they’re also not a jerk or something, and Korra’s been through so much so she needs someone who’ll be there for her.”

Mako smiles, “Well, Korra never said who, but,” he drags out the word. Asami curses him for playing with her heart, “I think you’re really good for her. I wouldn’t think of you as a jerk and I know you’ll be there for Korra, she’s already told me about all the times you have been.” 

Asami gulps, her face is on fire and she wants to curl up, become the soccer ball Bolin and Korra play with, and be kicked across the park, across the world, never to be seen again.

Mako nudges her with his elbow, “Come on, Asami, we all know it’s you. She just needs a little more time.”

Bolin and Korra return, both immediately asking about Asami’s flushed cheeks.

“Oh, it’s nothing, she choked on some water earlier.”

Korra displays her hands for Asami. The touch is electric and sends shivers through her body. Korra looks into her eyes and smiles, checking to see if the girl is all right. She nods and Korra nods right back.

Next is lunch. The boys suggest a spot they love coming to after games. They explain how the place works: you come in, you find a seat, take note of the table number, and once you know what you’re all ordering, one person goes up to the counter, places all the orders with the table number, and then you wait to be served. It’s mostly since the owner is stingy and won’t hire more than two employees: himself, the chef, and Pek, his son and server.

Asami and Korra look through the menus, Mako and Bolin already know what they’re getting. Upon deciding, Asami offers to go up to the counter. At the same time, Korra asks for the restroom and they leave at the same time. Asami stands in between two stools at the counter, ringing the bell when she doesn’t notice anyone coming to help her. She hears the jingle of the door open, not paying much attention to it, still looking for Pek, who is supposedly going to take their order.

“Well, well,” Iroh’s voice creeps into Asami’s ears and she shudders. “Oh, now, please, don’t tell me just the sound of my voice will do it for you.”

Asami sees him come up next to her, leaning on his arms on the counter. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees him run one hand through his hair. She keeps her eyes forward, intent on ignoring him. She still feels his eyes on her and then she feels a strand of her hair begin to move. She looks down to see Iroh has taken it in his fingers and starts playing with it.

“There’s no way you’re just _here_ , I mean, barely anyone knows about this place. Were you looking for me?”

Asami pulls her hair away. Iroh sighs, biting his lip and standing up straight. He turns his back to the counter and leans on his forearms.

“Asami, you can stop with these games. You’ve got me, there’s no need to keep up this facade.” He flashes a smile at her, “Let’s get that drink together.”

“No,” she bites. She dings the bell once more, groaning when Pek still doesn’t appear.

Asami tenses up when she feels a hand on her waist and suddenly Iroh is too close for comfort. His breath is right on her neck, his hand begins to descend dangerously down the side of her body. As she pushes him away, all she hears are the boys screaming Korra's name and all she sees is Korra’s fist colliding with Iroh’s face.

The loud smack has Iroh fall backwards and Asami moves out of the way before he can take her out. Korra is shouting but Asami can’t make out what she’s saying; not when the boys are standing in front of her, blocking her from Iroh, and not when the owner is screaming from the kitchen. Pek appears and in all the commotion, Asami barely notices that she, Korra, Mako, Bolin, and Iroh get kicked out; only when she feels the sunshine on her skin does she know. 

Even with both boys attempting to hold her back, Korra breaks through their grasps and surges towards Iroh with rage in her eyes. Asami steps in between them before anymore could happen, silently pleading with her to calm down. Korra abruptly stops and looks at Iroh nursing his fresh black eye and sticks her tongue out, pointing to her eyes then snapping her fingers right towards him. Asami urges her to keep walking and after a few seconds, she does.

The group splits after this; the boys first check to see if Korra is all right and then go back to the restaurant to see Iroh and speak with the owner. The two girls are silent on their drive home, Korra’s chest still aggressively rises and falls. When Asami places her hand on the girl’s skin, her breathing starts to level.

At home, Asami gives Korra an ice pack and watches as she flexes her hand. The girl winces as she extends her fingers and pouts while reluctantly putting the ice pack over her knuckles.

She breaks the silence first, “Are you mad at me?”

Asami sighs, walking over to the girl sitting on one of the dining chairs. She bends down and inspects Korra’s hand, lightly touching different parts and gauging her reaction. “Well, I’m no doctor but I don’t think you broke any part of your hand.”

“...You’re mad at me.”

Asami sighs again, “I’m not _mad_ , but Korra, did you need to punch him?”

“Yes,” she says, almost immediately. She shuts her eyes and groans, “Asami, he was touching you and I knew you didn’t want him to, I could tell by your body language. And you were saying you had to deal with him after the game the other day and that he’s been trying to go out with you and you made it sound like you’ve said no so someone had to show him what happens when he doesn’t listen to you.”

Korra is pouting, eyes locked onto Asami’s, and all Asami can do is laugh. It starts out small at first, quiet and thin, but the longer she looks at Korra, the louder her laugh gets and suddenly she’s bellowing with her whole body. She stands up and Korra follows suit, genuinely confused, but Asami wraps her arms around Korra’s neck and composes herself.

“You really are the best,” she whispers in her ear. “I really appreciate the gesture but you don’t need to go punching people for me.”

Korra pouts as Asami pulls away and lets her arms rest on her neck, “I know Asami, I do. I just couldn’t watch him treat you like that. I can’t let anyone disrespect you like that.” She’s silent for a moment, her oceans eyes search Asami’s emeralds before speaking, “Is this why you haven’t gone back to work? Because of Iroh?”

Asami grits her teeth. The two haven’t spoken about how long she’s been away from the company, and Asami wishes she could do without going back at all. However, she can’t deny the tug in the back of her mind. Oddly enough, she misses her desk; she misses the horribly placed vent that sometimes leaves her freezing in the summertime and sweating in the dead of winter. She misses picking up her company phone, holding it between her chin and shoulder while she types up the minutes from previous meetings. She misses greeting Kasuki, she misses the incredibly identifiable scent of Hinata’s breakfast burritos, she misses being rotated between departments and taking inventory and creating new ads and tinkering with prototypes before they go to final production.

But, how could she ever face _him?_ How could she walk into Future Industries knowing her father hasn’t once reached out to her in her prolonged absence? How could she face Future Industries knowing her father had undermined their relationship for the chance at a few more investors?

She sighs, “It’s not _solely_ because of him, Korra. There are other factors that have stopped me from returning.”

“...Do you want to talk about him?” Korra’s big eyes look up at her, gently trying to venture the subject. “Is the mention of him off limits? You haven’t brought him up since the presentation.”

Asami grins, letting out a small chuckle as she shakes her head. _Does she have to be so cute?_ “I know I haven’t talked about my father but there isn’t much to talk about. He chose me to give a presentation, then un-chose me, and hasn’t spoken to me since.”

“And you haven’t reached out either, right?”

She scoffs, “Spirits, no, but I have a reason not to. There’s nothing in this situation that justifies my father abandoning me like this. He’s not the one who got hurt, I am.”

Asami feels Korra’s fingers on her cheeks. She feels the runaway teardrops trickle down to her chin and she lightly gasps. She goes to pull away but Korra’s grip on her waist hasn’t let up.

“You shouldn’t let your father stop you from pursuing your passion. You have so much to offer, Asami, and it’s a shame he doesn’t see that,” Korra smiles. “You never deserved anything that happened with the presentation but you do deserve the chance to move on from it. Even if it hurts and it’s hard for you, you deserve more than what your father has given you and the only way you’re going to get more is by taking the reins.”

Asami chuckles, “My, my, you go up to speak at the podium once and suddenly you’re all wise and knowing?”

Korra shrugs, a smug grin on her face, “Sometimes I listen to Tenzin when he talks.” The two girls laugh and when the sounds die down, Korra continues. “You should go back to work, you’ve been gone for too long.”

Asami frowns, “Now you’re kicking me out?”

“No, no, slow your roll there, Sato,” Korra tucks a piece of Asami’s hair behind her ear. She takes the wavy strand that won’t stay and gently twirls it in her fingers, “I just think that big brain of yours should go back to contributing to the company.” 

Asami nods, hugging the girl tightly one last time. They each hear their phones go off and check to see the notification.

Korra is banned from the restaurant.

* * *

Asami wakes up, her body feeling incredibly dense. She’s tried to enjoy the past few days; her coworkers are glad to see she’s back, Asami has fallen right back into her usual work rhythm, but not _once_ has her father acknowledged her return. She hasn’t been able to bring herself to eat lunch with Kuvira but finds her assumptions of joining her fellow coworkers in the breakroom were wrong. They’re more than welcoming to Asami, and she appreciates it, but being back doesn’t feel entirely right.

Not that she was ever truly seen by her father in the first place, but at least her father was talking to her before the presentation happened. At least he’d check in from time to time, calling to see how her studies were going. At least at work, her father would call her personal phone and ask about her current projects within the departments. He was always about work and schooling and business and success more than family and love and spending time together, but at least he was still there.

He’s the only family Asami has ever really known. Both her parents are only children and her grandparents have been gone since before her mother passed. All Asami has ever known is her father and the company and straight As and using her brain. The latter may not have changed but her views on her father and his need for success have altered how she sees him. She wishes this weren’t the case, she wishes he were her father first and CEO second, but for nearly two decades, Hiroshi Sato has been all work and no family. Especially the second decade, all Hiroshi has done is pour his heart into Future Industries and part of Asami wishes he could spare some heart for her.

She trudges out of bed and into the kitchen where there’s more than just the morning coffee smell. She sees Korra running around her cabinets, opening each one frantically in search of something.

“Does this woman not have syrup?”

Asami sits down at the table and watches Korra scramble.

She opens the last cabinet, standing on her toes, peering behind every bottle and box. She exclaims, “Ah, here we go!” and places it on the counter, returning to the stovetop. “Shit.”

Asami sees her flip over a pancake, the burnt smell meets her nose and she smiles.

Korra places the most recent one, burnt side down, onto a plate nearby. She turns around to go to the table and stops in her tracks, eyes open wide.

“How much of that did you see?”

Asami smiles, “Is the burnt one on your plate or mine?”

Korra sheepishly grins, “My plate.” She comes around, places Asami’s plate in front of her, and the other at a different seat. She returns to the kitchen and brings over the syrup and Asami’s cup of coffee.

She watches as Korra digs in first, splattering a little syrup down before cutting a sizable piece. Asami can’t help but smile at how much easier it is for Korra to eat.

The girl, mid chew, stares at Asami. “What, is there something on my face?” It’s mostly mumbles but Asami can hear the sentence well. She shakes her head and starts eating.

She wishes she could stay here with Korra, that she wouldn’t have to face another day ignored by her father head on. She hasn’t even told the girl about it, perhaps too ashamed, too embarrassed. She’s heard countless stories about Korra and her father, Tonraq. She’s heard phone conversations between them while Korra’s been staying over. It’s always roaring laughter over the phone, always stories about ice fishing or sled racing or seeing who can bench press her mother, Senna, more times. 

Asami finishes her plate, Korra still has about half left. Korra takes both and puts them by the sink, walking back over to sit next to Asami.

“Thank you for breakfast,” Asami coos, reaching out for Korra’s extended hand.

Korra begins gently stroking Asami’s skin with her thumb and she sighs, “I know you haven’t been having good days at work,” she starts, staring at their hands. “I won’t push if you don’t want to talk about it but I thought a nice breakfast might make your day better.”

Asami sighs, she should’ve known Korra would be able to see right through her. She checks the time, it’s still early. She doesn’t need to get ready right away, and besides, she’s talked less and less to Korra since returning to the company. She misses the sound of her voice.

“He still hasn’t said anything to me,” she says, tightening her grip on Korra’s hand.

“Do you want him to?”

Asami shrugs, but lets out a defeated chuckle and shakes her head, “I miss him. What he did wasn’t right but he’s my dad. Korra, he’s my dad and he doesn’t miss me.”

Korra stands up and places her arms around Asami’s neck, placing a gentle kiss on the top of her head. “He hasn’t called you or texted you, he hasn’t reached out to you in any way since the presentation?”

Asami shakes her head, wiping away the tears that had escaped her eyes. “No, but I’m sure he's been in the negotiation stages since landing those new investors and there’s always so much paperwork.”

“That’s not an excuse,” Korra responds. They stare into each other's eyes, Korra hesitantly places her hand on Asami's cheek. She sinks into Korra’s touch, the immensely warm hand transferring electricity through her body. And before Asami can savor it any further, the heat is gone. “Are you gonna be okay today?”

Asami nods, gulping back a no. “I’ll make it through,” she whispers and smiles, not meeting Korra’s eyes. 

After changing and getting ready in the bathroom, she comes out and sees Korra’s prepared all her things. She gives Korra a hug, taking in every last bit of her favorite girl before leaving.

She calls Kuvira on the way there. Even though Asami wishes she could get over her father as easily as he’s seemed to move on, she can’t help but wonder about him. And, who to know more about her father than his personal bodyguard always by his side?

“Morning,” Kuvira says, monotone into the phone.

“Good morning to you,” Asami sasses, almost talking the way you would to a baby.

“You know you could just come up here and talk to him.”

Asami rolls her eyes, “If he doesn’t want to talk to me, why should I try?”

Kuvira groans, undoubtedly rubbing the bridge of her nose, “I will not get in the middle of this situation between you and your father! You both are adults, work it out like ones.” She lets out a long sigh, “I wish I didn’t have to ask again but when--”

“If.”

Kuvira stays silent for a moment, “ _When_ Hiroshi reaches out to you, tell him everything you said to me. Tell him everything you said when we were in your apartment after the presentation. He needs to know how you feel, he needs to know how he’s made you feel for years. Hiroshi can’t change if he doesn’t know what’s wrong and you want him to change, don’t you?”

Asami grips the steering wheel, staring at the red light in front of her. Her foot slowly pulses on and off the break, inching forward, waiting for the signal. 

“I do.”

She feels the pit of her stomach churn, wondering if she could ever say all of it to her father. Kuvira isn’t wrong, she wants her father to change, but not in every way. Not in the business sense, not in the ambition sense, but rather, she wants a father, she wants to feel like the man she calls Dad really deserves the title. It pains her to say he hasn’t. The light turns green and Asami’s foot hovers over the gas pedal.

“So then you’ll tell him?”

For just a moment, her Satomobile doesn’t move but with a sharp, deep breath, Asami steps on the pedal. “I will.”

Though, she never said _when_ she would tell her father everything. And, Kuvira had said when _he_ reaches out. So, she’s been waiting a few days. Admittedly out of fear but also because Hiroshi still hasn’t tried to talk to her. No phone calls, no text messages, not even an email. Asami won’t waiver in her decision to not talk to her father but every night, she asks Raava why he’s so stubborn. (Then again, so is she…)

She gets into bed, pulling Korra’s pillow over her face and screaming into it. She leaves it on her face when she finishes.

“So, I’m gonna guess it was a great day at work.” Korra says.

Asami huffs. “I don’t appreciate your sarcasm,” she mumbles into the pillow.

“Yes you do,” Korra responds, taking the pillow off her face and putting it back on her side.

She leans on her elbow, casting aside Asami’s hair so it’s out of her face. Asami peers over at her, her hand reaching out to Korra’s bent arm. She can’t help it, no matter how hard she tries. Ever since Korra started wearing tank tops and muscle shirts, Asami can’t fight the urge to indulge herself. Sculpted, almost to perfection, and in its current position, absolute art.

If she didn’t know that Korra loves it when she admires her arms, she wouldn’t do it. But, she’ll catch the pink color in her cheeks, paired with that crooked grin that slowly turns into a toothy smile. Korra puts herself into positions to show off her arms, it simply would be rude for Asami to not acknowledge the actions.

“Kuvira keeps saying he’ll reach out but I’m so not sure.” Asami traces the line of her bicep, following it until her finger slides off her skin. “It’s been almost two months, Korra. You’d think by now, something.”

Korra takes a piece of Asami’s hair in her fingers, her favorite piece that just won’t stay tucked behind her ear, and twirls it lightly. She lets it fall out of her fingers and then taps Asami’s forehead lightly, “I will be honest, I won’t ever get how you and your dad don’t have a great relationship. I wish you could have an amazing one with him, or at least one that’s better than this. But, you are worth so much more than this treatment. And I’m not just talking about him ignoring you now, I mean with everything. At the company, at home, his expectations for school, it’s not right. At least not to me.” She tucks herself closer to Asami, draping an arm over her side. “...Want me to punch him? It doesn’t have to be physical, I could probably rough him up with some mind games.”

Asami starts giggling, even more so when Korra tickles her side. “No, Korra, I do _not_ want you to punch my dad, physically or otherwise. I just,” she sighs. “I don’t want to be the one who reaches out. Not when he’s done such a great job of not doing it himself after this long.”

Korra sighs, “You Satos are so stubborn, all stuck in your pride.”

Asami gasps, “Says the girl who arm-wrestled Bolin fourteen times in one day after he won _once_.”

“I had been challenged and the only reason he won was cause he cheated by saying Mako styles his eyebrows like that _on purpose._ Of course I’m gonna stop paying attention and throw all my energy into that, you’ve _seen_ those brows.” Korra chuckles as Asami’s grin grows wider, “I had to show him his win was a fluke, which it was, and I reasserted my dominance against him.”

Asami starts laughing again, finding she’s placed herself into the crook of Korra’s neck. Korra has molded into the touch, one arm placed on her waist, the other supporting Asami’s head and stroking her hair gently. Asami mentally yells at herself, for finding herself in this position with Korra when she told herself she wouldn’t make a move. She feels Korra’s hand rest on her back, pulling their bodies even closer. She shouldn’t enjoy herself so much but there’s no other place Asami has felt so safe, no other place that feels like home to her. She smiles against Korra’s skin and blushes when she feels a gentle kiss placed on her forehead.

She peers up at Korra, whose eyes are soft. The ocean blues are calm, still, unmoved, but there’s something else there.

Korra takes her hand off Asami’s back and places it on her cheek, using her thumb to stroke the girl’s skin. She starts leaning forward and Asami prays to Raava Korra doesn’t feel how hot in the face she is. She closes her eyes, trying to prepare herself to finally feel Korra’s lips when once again she feels a tender kiss be placed on her forehead.

Asami opens her eyes and looks at Korra, who, even with her eyes closed, looks so defeated. She rests her forehead on Asami and sighs, whispering, “You’ll wait for me, won’t you?”

She furrows her eyebrows, trying so hard to understand what Korra means.

“I’m almost there,” she mumbles, dropping her head down. “I know I am, Asami. I’ll be there soon, I need to be better. I need to be better for you.”

Asami sighs, finding herself grinning. “I think you’re already great.”

Korra’s eyes open and she looks between Asami’s emerald eyes and smiles back. “If Hiroshi knows what’s good for him, he’ll come around.”

Asami falls asleep that night with a big smile on her face and Korra’s head on her chest.

Upon waking up, she sees Korra’s back. The muscles move and flex as the girl pulls a shirt over her head. The same happens as she pulls her hair back into a little ponytail, leaving two strands on the sides of her face. She moves to be in front of the mirror and smiles.

“Morning sleepyhead,” she says as she checks her appearance. She turns around and comes over to Asami, leaning down to put another small kiss on her forehead. “I wasn’t sure when you’d be up so I didn’t start the Keurig. The water and the mug and everything is already there, you just need to press start.”

Asami hums, bitterly swallowing the morning breath in her mouth, “Where are you going?”

She smiles, “Tenzin asked me to join his morning meditation session so I’ll be heading over to Kyoshi Park.”

Asami rubs her eyes, sitting up, “That’s far, do you want me to bring you?”

Korra chuckles, fixing Asami’s hair as best she can. “No, it’s okay, just get ready for work. I’ll see you later, okay? Have a great day.”

Asami lazily spreads her arms apart, which Korra happily takes and gives her a quick hug. She looks around her room, calling out Naga’s name who promptly gets up and jumps onto the bed. She rests her head on Asami’s lap and Asami happily pets the canine, kissing her forehead a few times before getting up. She directs Naga to stay where she is (she does not need to be told twice) and Asami starts her coffee. She goes to the bathroom, splashing some water on her face before looking in the mirror. She sighs, looking at her emerald eyes that match her mother, at the wavy hair her mother gave her, at the pointed chin and high cheekbones. 

She recalls when Korra tapped her forehead last night, knowing what the girl meant. On the outside, she may look like her mother, carrying on her legacy, but most everything her father’s given her is internal. The brains, the creativity, the ambition, the drive. Her mother surely had some but Asami knows, that is what makes her a Sato through and through.

She makes herself smile and gets ready to go to work.

Once there, she falls right into rhythm, this time being needed in the Prototypes Department. She stops in marketing to go to her desk, happily saying hello to Kasuki, before venturing off to the lower floor for product testing. She sits in on the latest Satomobile, testing out the latest advancements to the radio and sound system. She raises the volume, content with the sound quality of the surround system. She hears the station from each seat equally, but when testing out the feature to play your own music instead of the radio, it sputters out and shut off completely.

“What are the amp specs again?” she asks as she returns to the data room. “It’s a 4 Ohm load, right? The calculations show--”

Someone comes in through the doors, rather urgently, and looks at Asami. “Miss Sato, Kuvira is on the phone, she’s asking for you.”

Asami circles what needs to be fixed and walks out of the room, almost power walking to keep up with the young man who’s requested her. He points to the phone on his desk and looks at her with sorry eyes.

As she brings it to her ears, she begins to hear yelling, “Kuvira?”

“Spirits, why are you not answering your desk phone? Where was I even transferred to anyways?”

“Prototypes,” the yelling continues in the background of the call. “Is everything okay? Who is that?”

“You need to get up here to your father’s floor right now,” Kuvira says. “I was just coming out of the bathroom when Ming said I had a visitor but I wasn’t expecting anyone.” She sighs, “Asami, Korra’s here. She’s talking to your dad.”

Asami quickly rushes over to the elevator, spamming the button, though she knows it won’t help get her up to the top floor any sooner. She curses out her father for wanting to have one of the tallest buildings in the city and anxiously waits the trip up. She bites her lip, was that Korra yelling or her father? Maybe both? She can’t remember now and the voices weren’t even that clear to begin with, but what is Korra doing here? Kyoshi Park is within a reasonable distance of Future Industries but wasn’t she just going to meditating with Tenzin?

The elevator finally arrives and once the doors open, she’s met with the loud screams. Ming sits in her chair, frightened, and Asami mouths an apology before finding herself in her father’s office. He’s standing at his desk with two other men, coworkers, and he looks between Asami and Korra.

“Finally, Asami, who is this? She claims to know you and Kuvira.”

Korra surges forward, “Like I’ve already told you Mr. Sato, _I’m_ the girl who helped your daughter create an outstanding presentation that you _stole_ from her.” Her chest is huffing in and out. “What in the name of Raava is _wrong_ with you? I didn’t come here to fight but you are so inconceivably up your own ass you don’t even see how much you mean to Asami.” She swallows sharply, “What does your daughter mean to you?”

The other men in the room slowly take steps back, Kuvira stands off to the side They all find themselves against the walls of his office while Korra stands front and center, waving her hands around at Hiroshi.

“Have you even _met_ your daughter? Don’t you know the mind she has, the mind _you_ yourself shaped? Did you even _consider_ listening to her presentation? Do you know how long she worked on it, how hard she worked on it, all the time and effort and 2 AM visits to a coffee shop _just_ so that it would be practically perfect for you? How is it possible that at the last minute, some newbie who only started working here months ago, meanwhile Asami has been here for _years_ , pulls the rug from out under her and usurps the presentation? So what, he’s the Firelord’s son, Asami Sato _is your daughter!"_

As if by command, Iroh walks into Hiroshi’s office, confused at the group of people inside. Korra turns and they lock eyes, Iroh instantly bringing a hand up to his still bruised cheek.

“Iroh, unless you want another black eye, I suggest you _get out of here."_

Without needing another suggestion, Iroh turns his heel and quickly disappears. Before she starts speaking again, Hiroshi’s coworkers quickly run out of the room, leaving Korra, Asami, and Kuvira watching Hiroshi at his desk.

“How can you not see the merit of your own daughter, your _only_ daughter? Don’t you know what she can do, what ideas she has bouncing around that beautiful mind of hers? I wasn’t at this presentation meeting but I can guarantee you, Iroh’s idea was nowhere near as impressive or well thought out or beneficial for this company.”

Korra takes a deep breath, running her hands through her hair, “How do you go to sleep at night knowing you took such a pivotal opportunity away from Asami? Didn’t you offer her the presentation for a reason? To see her abilities, to see how she could handle these responsibilities, responsibilities that are eerily like yours as CEO? I’ll admit, I don’t know much about the business world, but I’m sure not all of your employees can stand up in front of a whole boardroom, speak extensively about a topic for a long period of time, and keep it informative while also engaging. And I know _for a fact_ , none of the ones who can, can do it like Asami.”

Asami sees her father looking at her, as if he’s requesting she stop Korra’s speech, but all Asami can do is look at her favorite girl and try her hardest to stop the tears forming in her eyes from falling.

“What, what is it, Mr. Sato? What on this planet is stopping you from letting Asami grow, letting her blossom? You know she can, you wouldn’t have given her the presentation if you didn’t. So why, _why_ at the last moment pull back? Weren’t you the least bit worried when she stopped talking to you? Weren’t you the _least_ bit concerned with not hearing from her? I’m a firm believer in knowing family doesn’t have to be by blood, but don’t you want to hold onto that bond? You raised Asami, you held her when she was a baby and you brought her up in this world, and you weren’t even going to bat an eye when that very girl stopped talking to you?”

“That is enough!” Hiroshi barks, slamming his hands down on his desk. “I will _not_ be spoken to in such a manner! You have no right--”

“No right?” Korra spurts back, lurching forward. She points a finger in front of his face, “You had no right to take away something so important to Asami! And for what, for some guy who has no substance behind him other than the fact that his mommy is in charge of a whole nation? Asami has never once used her name to get to where she is, didn’t she start as an intern at the very company attached to her last name?”

Hiroshi begins to stutter, “Well, yes, Asami did--”

“And didn’t she work her way to up to where she is now? Did she really work hard over the years she’s been here so that she could just _sit in_ on meetings? Even with all this work, she’s still sidelined, still a second thought to you, how could you even do that? Is your work really so much more important than seeing the extraordinary woman your daughter has become? Now, I know that I don’t need to be saying any of this, because Asami can more than hold her own in any conversation, but I am doing this because you are hurting the woman I love, and I will not just let that happen.”

Asami’s breath hitches in her throat, _Did she just say love? Korra loves me?_

Korra takes a deep breath, gulping. She brings her hands down, “Take this as a wake up call, Mr. Sato. I know there is no such thing as a perfect parent, but you really need to reevaluate how you’re doing your parenting. You’ve raised such an intellectual, intuitive, confident, well spoken woman, and you fail to even acknowledge that, much less appreciate it.” Korra’s voice has evened out and she now speaks with an inside voice, “Don’t take her for granted. I can’t say what the future holds but I know I would never forgive myself if I let Asami get away from me.”

There’s a rush behind Asami and she sees a security detail coming towards her father’s office. Kuvira steps in between them, yelling that she has it covered. The men take some steps back and Kuvira approaches Korra, gently speaking to her. Hiroshi walks up to Korra, towering over her, and begins talking, though Asami can’t hear his words. Korra doesn’t drop her stare, doesn’t lose her stance of arms crossed and chin up. Once Hiroshi finishes, Korra’s jaw tenses up and she lets Kuvira walk her out.

They make eye contact as Kuvira holds onto Korra’s arm. She guiltily looks at Asami, asking with her eyes for forgiveness before being out of her eyesight. Asami looks at her father, he’s returned to his desk and is mumbling to himself. She’s about to leave when she looks at him once more.

_Now or never._

She closes the door and walks over to his desk. He looks up from his place as he takes off his glasses, “Yes, Asami?”

Asami rolls her eyes, she shouldn’t have expected anything less. “Dad, I have tried so hard to be the perfect business woman, the perfect inventor and repairer and a jack of all trades in the company, but I’ve tried so hard to be all that stuff because I want you to see me as your daughter. I don’t want to be another employee to you, I don’t want you to be my boss. I want you to be my dad, but more than that, I want you to want to be my dad.”

She sighs, staring at his collection of CEO of the Year awards just beyond his chair rather than him, “Ever since Mom died, I feel like this is all you think you have, this company, these investors, all the money and creations. You’re so concerned with deals and business travel and using Iroh in hopes of getting more investors in the Fire Nation but Dad, you have me. You don’t have to worry about appearances with me or putting on your camera smile or divvying up the finances just right so that you can still give everyone a holiday bonus. Dad, you have a daughter who just wants to be loved by you. That’s all I’m asking for,” she wipes a tear that’s fallen down her cheek. “It’s like Korra said, there’s no such thing as a perfect parent but for spirits’ sake, anything is better than this right now.”

Asami finally brings her eyes back down to her father as he sits across from her. With his glasses off, Asami can see his old age wearing out on him, even more so as he stresses himself constantly with the company. He stays silent, opening his mouth once before letting his head fall.

She shakes her head, “I’ve been back at work for a while now, Dad.”

“I didn’t know what to say,” he answers, rather quietly.

Asami bites her cheek, looking away. “Hello would’ve been nice.”

She leaves his office, not surprised when he doesn’t call out after her. She feels her phone vibrate, seeing it’s a text from Korra.

_Korra: Kuvira left me by your car, can you bring me home? Also, please don’t hate me. At least let me explain before you do._

As Asami exits the building, she finds Korra leaning on her car. The girl has her head down and is kicking pieces of gravel. She turns her head as Asami gets closer and immediately straightens up.

“Okay,” she starts. She has her hands out in front of her, holding them up as a sign to stop, “I know you said not to rough up your dad, but I had a talk with Tenzin today.” Her words begin to speed up, “It was about you, which I hope was okay, that I’m talking about you to other people. Agh, that’s besides the point. Okay, we were getting into the meditation and Tenzin said to think of the place or the thing that brings me peace and so I thought of you. But then I started thinking about everything with your dad and Tenzin could tell I was off so he asked and I told him. He told me if it’s really bugging me, it must be necessary for me to change it. And it is, Asami I want your dad to change because you deserve to be loved unconditionally. You deserve someone who sees how amazing and incredible and--”

Asami wraps her arms around Korra’s neck, letting out all the tears she forced back when she was in her father’s office. She begins sobbing and Korra quickly starts rubbing her back. They’re silent, aside from Asami’s muffled sobs. Asami notes how strong Korra’s arms are around her, the feeling of her warm hand comforting her. She thought she couldn’t love this girl anymore and yet here she is: her heart swelling with emotion and gratitude and love and she isn’t sure how to express it all. She’s not even sure she can process it.

“I love you,” Asami whispers once her sobs let up. “Please know that I love you. Korra, I love you, I love you so much.”

Korra’s arms tighten around her body, the girl tucks her head into Asami’s neck. “We are not going to have a crying session in the middle of the Future Industries parking lot.” Asami hears her sniffle and the girl has to let go for a moment to wipe her own tears. “I love you, too. Though, I think you might’ve heard me say that up there…”

Asami wipes her cheek and grins, “Did you see how much you scared Iroh?”

Korra laughs, “Heh, yeah. And don’t worry, I stopped by your HR office to let them know that creep Iroh needs to get re-evaluated as an employee. I’m sure the notice will be passed onto your dad soon, if this didn’t spook him I don’t know what will.”

Asami stares into Korra’s eyes, that pure, ocean blue, her new favorite color, “I can’t believe you did all this for me.”

“I’d do anything for you.”

They both let out a content sigh and Asami unlocks the Satomobile to bring her home.

* * *

“It was bad this morning,” Korra says. She leans her whole body against the small podium, moving a piece of her hair out of her face with her breath. “It was the worst it’s been in a while. I couldn’t breathe and I saw his face. His name is Zaheer and he’s a son of a bitch but he’s been locked up in some super guarded facility since they captured him.” 

Asami glances around the basement of the dance studio, the support group always seems to be more animated each time Korra goes up to speak.

“It was bad but it was also the first time I actually asked for help.” Her eyes peer up to Asami, a crooked grin follows, “I’m living with my best friend right now, she’s been so gracious to me in all of this. I couldn’t tell you the amount of times she’s told me to wake her up if anything like this ever happens. I’ve been holding off on it cause, you know, just cause I can’t sleep, doesn’t mean she shouldn’t get to. But, I saw Zaheer’s face and I could hear his voice saying what he told my father when they cornered him. _‘Let me go or else your daughter won’t survive and you will have to live with the guilt of knowing you’re the reason she’s gone’_...serious stuff, right?” 

The room lets out a flow of laughter and while Asami giggles, she’s trying more so to understand what Korra’s saying.

“Anyways, I hear him say it and it’s that last sentence. _You will have to live with the guilt of knowing you’re the reason she’s gone_ ,” Korra taps the sides of the podium with her fingers and takes a deep, deep breath. “When I woke up and I couldn’t breathe, I looked over and I saw her. I don’t want her to think I’ve ever taken her for granted. _You will have to live with the guilt of knowing you’re the reason she’s gone_.” 

Korra chuckles, “I mean, she could never get rid of me, not now. Too far in.” Asami rolls her eyes. “I woke her up cause I wanted her to know that I appreciate everything she does for me. I’ve never had someone outside my family care about me like this, enough to give up some sleep to make sure I’m okay. I know I wouldn’t be able to live with the guilt if I kept leading on that I could get through all of this by myself. I guess what I’m trying to say is that the love I have for her is far greater than the fear I have of my past, of my thoughts. I know she’ll always be there for me, but I wanted to let her know that I know that.”

Korra smiles and starts laughing, “I hope that made sense. That’s, that’s just what’s been in my brain today. Thank you guys.”

As Korra walks back over to the group, Opal and Bolin are huddled together, wiping away their tears.

“Korra, that was so beautiful,” Bolin says between sniffles. He takes a tissue out of Opal’s purse and loudly blows his nose.

They lower their voices as Lin walks to the podium. When they realize she’s saying they’re going to take a break, the group continues talking.

“Thank you so much for inviting me tonight,” Opal whispers across Bolin’s lap. She slaps his arm lightly, pointing to the tissues that have fallen off his lap and onto the floor. “You were really great up there, Korra.”

“So great!” Bolin blows his nose once more and Opal rolls her eyes, handing him more tissues.

Korra chuckles, “You two really make quite the couple.”

They both stop in their places. They exchange glances between each other before quietly laughing.

“We’re not dating,” Opal says.

Bolin tries to stifle his laughter, “I’m sure Wei would hate to hear if we were.”

They laugh again but Korra and Asami are confused.

“Wei is my brother. I introduced them after Bolin stalked my Instagram account when we met.”

Asami smiles but it instantly fades. It’s good news to hear that Opal isn’t dating Bolin, but has she moved on at all? Should she want Opal to? What about Kuvira?

Korra apologizes for the assumption and they tell her it’s fine. They’re best friends, just like Korra and Asami, but only best friends. (Bolin gives them a wink.) Korra shakes her head, laughing as she takes Asami’s hand in hers. Asami leans into Korra’s body and Korra happily does the same.

She looks over Asami’s head, “Are you going up today, Mako?”

He nods. After the short break, Mako heads up to the podium and heavily sighs.

“Have you guys ever had to unfriend someone you’ve known for years?” He chuckles, rolling his eyes, “You think you know someone but, I guess sometimes you don’t.” He scratches his chin, “A buddy of mine, or I guess an ex-buddy now, I play soccer with him. I had a serious conversation with him about how he treated one of my best friends and he just, didn’t want to hear it? It got me angry and I made a decision, her friendship is more important than his.” He nods, “Gotta give it up to Bolin though, he’s the one who put him in his place. It was a tough talk, and I’m glad it happened, cause I don’t want to call someone like him a friend, but it’s just a lot to think about.”

Mako runs a hand through his air and blows a raspberry, “Other than that, I’m just excited for spring break.”

At the mention, Korra squeezes Asami’s hand tighter.

After the meeting concludes, the group gets some food. The night is filled with laughter and smiles, it’s filled with countless stories and new memories made. It’s everything Asami loves about her friends, about her family.

“Asami, I’m really sorry again about Iroh,” Mako brings up as the group walks to their cars. “I didn’t realize how much a douche he really is.”

She waves him off, “You don’t have to apologize for the actions of someone else. But thank you guys again for talking to him, you too Opal. _And,_ I heard from Kuvira that he got called into my dad’s office not too long ago.”

Asami notices Opal mouth open slightly at the mention of Kuvira’s name. She waits to see if she’ll say anything, but Opal sighs instead.

“Hm, I wonder what _that_ could be about,” Korra hums, whistling into the distance.

Asami hugs everyone in the group as they say goodbye. Korra takes Asami’s hand in hers as they walk back to her Satomobile. It may be evening but the spring air is warm and Asami loves it.

“So, about spring break,” Korra starts, staring at the ground as they walk. “I wanted to ask you something about it.”

“Shoot.”

Korra sighs, “Are you going to be working during it?”

Asami shrugs, “I usually do. Why, what’s up?”

She stops where she stands, “I want to go to the South.” Their eyes meet and Korra smiles, “I want you to come with me.”

There’s no need for conversation, no need for debate; Asami’s answer is undoubtedly yes. When they get home, Asami starts listing off all the things she’ll need to get settled before leaving. Assignments at schools, projects within work, submitting her time-off sheet to HR, plus packing. As she breaks down each point further in her mind, her phone rings.

She answers, not paying attention to who’s calling, “Hello?”

“Hi, sweetheart,” her father says. He clears his throat, “Asami, hello.”

She gulps, stopping in her tracks, “Dad, hey.” There’s a few beats of silence, “Did you need something?”

“Ah, um,” he stumbles over his words, “how was your day?”

Asami tries to make sure she’s heard correctly, “Good? Yours?”

“It was good.” There are more beats of silence, “Kuvira bought me lunch today, from a restaurant that delivered to the building. It was rather good food, I’ll need to bring you some time.”

“Yeah, Dad, that sounds good.”

After some more silence, Hiroshi clears his throat once more, “Well, have a good night.”

“You too, night.”

The call ends and Korra walks into the room. Her hair is wet and she has a towel around her shoulders, “You just on the phone?”

“Yeah, it was my dad.”

They both stare at each other, though neither of them know what to say. Asami lets out some uneasy chuckles, trying to move past the moment. They get into bed and talk about a few different things, but Asami’s mind wanders back to the phone call with her father. It’s a start, a horrible, almost failed one at that, but he tried. It’s only the start, there’s more for him to do, but he tried.

The final days before break have Asami rather anxious. The realization of having to meet Korra’s parents only dawns on her as she packs. (It also dawns on her that her current wardrobe won’t exactly accommodate the cold weather of the South.) Korra walks in while Asami has stopped in her tracks, sweater in hand, and she asks what’s wrong. Asami feels silly for worrying about meeting the parents and feels even sillier when Korra only laughs. The girl comes up to her and puts the sweater in her suitcase, taking her now free hands. She starts over exaggerating her breathing and Asami follows suit. They take deep breaths, in through the nose, out through the mouth, and Korra squeezes her hands in reassurance.

“We should probably find you some winter coats though, these sweaters aren’t going to cut it in the South.”

As they shop for coats in the back of a clothing store, Asami checks her phone, wondering when her father would be calling again. After the other night, he’s yet to call again. She tries to give him more credit for being able to do it but one thirty second phone call is not going to make up for the years of hurt. There’s no notification from him, so she sighs and continues looking at the coat options.

The day arrives when Asami and Korra are leaving. Kuvira offers to drive them to the train station and both happily accept. Asami already wears the parka they found, hood up, gloves on. She sweats in the spring heat but loves the way she looks in the outfit. Korra wears traditional Water Tribe clothing, they stopped in her apartment to get clothes for the trip. Kuvira opens the trunk and quickly grabs Naga’s leash as the dog jumps out and begins sniffing the ground around her. Korra takes her after bringing out the luggage and asks the dog to sit. Korra hugs Kuvira and says she’s going to check Naga in for the Animal’s car.

“Still nothing?” Kuvira asks, closing her trunk. 

Asami shakes her head, “Not since last week.”

“At least he called?”

“For thirty seconds.”

“To ask about your day and say goodnight,” Kuvira reminds her. “I know it’s not much but at least it’s something.”

“Something one time is not enough,” Asami kicks her feet. “I won’t lie, it was a great feeling knowing he called but it wears off after a couple days.”

Kuvira nods as they hug. “Just give him more time, it’s new for him.” She smiles, “So, meeting the parents, huh.” She wiggles her eyebrows up and down and winks.

Asami rolls her eyes, thanking her for the ride and walking into the station. She finds Korra standing near the staircase to their platform and finds her breath caught in her throat. All the emotions she feels, the fact that Korra is ready to go to the South again, the fact that Korra asked her to come, the fact that this morning was the first time Korra finished her whole breakfast, she doesn’t want to cry but she could come close. 

Korra has grown so much and not only does she see it, but she knows Korra does too. It’s in the way she holds herself up now, her shoulders back, her chest out, chin up. It’s in the way Korra speaks, the confidence in her voice. It’s in the way Korra dresses now too, unafraid to wear her tank tops and shorts, finally ready to let the world see her.

Asami couldn’t love this woman more.

At the beginning of the train ride, Korra looked excited, explaining to Asami everything she’d show her, the tribe center, the Spirit forest not too far out. She described the Royal Palace, about all the hiding places she found as a young girl. She even mentioned some of the food she loved to eat down there. But, as the train ride progresses, Asami can see the girl start to lose confidence. When her fingers slowly find their way to her wrist, Asami stops her.

“Hey,” she takes the one hand away, intertwining their fingers. “What’s going on up there?”

Korra shakes her head, “It’s nothing, just silly stuff.”

Asami tries to find Korra’s eyes, they’re on the floor of the train car, “I could use a laugh.”

At the comment, Korra’s eyes shift up to hers and she chuckles, “I think I’m rubbing off on you.”

She pouts, just as Korra would, “You sound like you don’t like that.”

Korra chuckles and throws her head back, “It’s been, eight or nine months? Maybe a little longer since I’ve been home?” She looks away for a moment before looking into Asami’s eyes, “What if I’m not ready?”

Asami looks into her favorite eyes, the shade of blue that brings her more joy than she could explain, “I thought this was supposed to be funny.”

Korra rolls her eyes but lets out a few short laughs.

“Korra, honey, you wouldn’t have gone through with it like this if you weren’t ready,” Asami squeezes her hand. “I know you’re ready and I think you know too. Trust yourself.”

After the conversation, Korra stays silent but Asami notes a smile growing as they exit the train and onto a boat to finish the journey. Korra spends most of the ride on the top deck, Asami stays with her for as long as she can, but once they pass the Southern border and she can see her breath in the air, she retreats to their cabin inside.

They dock, Korra takes Asami’s hands and practically sprints off the ship. She looks around, turning every which way until she lets go of Asami’s hand and runs into the arms of a burly man. He swings her around, loudly laughing, and as Asami approaches, a short woman gingerly steps around them and up to her.

“You must be Asami,” she gleams, bringing her in for a hug. “We’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Korra’s mother, Senna.”

“When did you cut your hair?” the man shouts, putting Korra down and reaching for the strands near her cheeks. He holds his palm to her face and gives her one more hug. Korra turns to her mom and the man steps aside, looking at Asami. “And this must be Asami, the beautiful business--”

“Dad!”

The family laughs, as well as Asami, but she blushes more than she giggles. He introduces himself as Tonraq and gives her a gentle hug. The group walks to get Naga and already, Asami can tell where Korra gets her humor. Tonraq and Korra bounce off each other, adding onto each other’s witty one liners and nonsense. She can also see where Korra gets her tenderness, Senna gives Asami another pair of gloves and a hat to cover her ears. Her parents are everything Korra is.

She’s a bit nervous to have to hold onto Tonraq on their trip to the city but the man is warm and the snowmobiles the parents brought don’t exactly have a heater for Asami to direct towards herself. She would’ve enjoyed holding onto Korra, but the girl doesn’t know how to drive them either. Thankfully, Tonraq goes as fast as he can, even if it’s only because he decided to race Senna, but any way for Asami to get out of the cold and into a warmer place is much appreciated. They arrive at the palace and Naga runs loose. Tonraq carries their luggages inside and shows them to their rooms. He stops first in Korra’s room and Asami glances at the girl who nervously stands in the doorway.

Asami taps his shoulder, whispering, “Is there another bedroom? Maybe not here the first night.”

Tonraq sighs with a frown, “Korra, I’m sorry.” He turns to Asami, “You can camp here for the time being if you’d like.”

With that sentence, Korra calls her dad over, whispering in his ear. He looks at Asami, then back at Korra and chuckles, “Asami, you don’t have a spare room for Korra to sleep in? No couch?”

“Dad! I whispered for a reason!”

Senna leaves to go to the kitchen while Tonraq walks them down another corridor. He puts both bags down, attempting to make conversation but Korra shoos him away before he can say too much. After closing her door, she scratches the back of her neck, “I’m sorry about him, he isn’t exactly one for subtly.”

After the girls unpack some items, Korra takes her on a small tour and then brings her to the kitchen. Senna is cooking while Tonraq is reading at the table. Korra jumps in with Senna while Asami sits down next to Korra’s dad. He asks questions about school and her work, questions she prepared herself for. What Asami didn’t prepare herself for was for Tonraq and Senna to already know so much about her. Senna didn’t lie, Korra really did talk a lot about her. It’s endearing and heartwarming to know that Korra cares about her that much to tell her parents.

They eat a traditional Water Tribe dinner and Asami’s cheeks hurt from seeing Korra finish her plate. It took her a while, the three of them had already had seconds, Tonraq is on his third serving, but she can’t hide the pride she has for Korra.

Korra leaves to find Naga to feed her too and in her absence, Tonraq and Senna thank Asami for everything she’s done for Korra. They tell her about how for a few months, Korra had stopped keeping in contact with them. They were so worried about her but just a few months ago, Korra started calling, even though it was just for a few seconds, and slowly the conversations made way to up an hour every day. They know it’s because of Asami’s help that their daughter has improved so much since she left and for that they’re grateful.

It may only be Asami’s first night in the South, but she already feels like part of the family. She can’t remember the last time she had a family dinner with her father that didn’t include him walking up to a stage, giving a lengthy speech, and posing for photo ops. Even then, Asami shared a table with Hiroshi and his board. She’d have Kuvira with her, but the woman would be on high alert during such high-profile events, so it left Asami feeling incredibly alone in a room filled just below the fire regulation limits. To be filled with such laughter and love, to feel it so fully, almost unconditionally, and only in a room of four, it’s bittersweet to say the least.

Asami wonders if this is what it would be like if her mother were still alive.

After cleaning up, Tonraq and Senna excuse themselves. Asami isn’t expecting the sweet peck on the cheek from Senna, nor the gentle kiss on her forehead from Tonraq. Korra’s parents hug her tight and Asami can’t hide the smile on her face. She looks at Korra who’s still at the table; she’s frowning.

“They didn’t say goodnight to me.”

As if on cue, her parents return and give her the same treatment they gave Asami. She waves them off, saying it’s too late, and the room is once again filled with laughter. Asami sits down when her parents leave once more and takes Korra’s hand.

“How are you feeling?”

“I missed them,” Korra answers. She intertwines their fingers and sighs, “Thank you, for telling my dad about being in another room. I just, kinda got caught in my throat, I guess.”

“Of course, honey,” Asami squeezes little pulses into Korra’s hand and the girl chuckles. “Let’s head to bed?”

Korra nods and leads the way to the room they’re staying in. She shows Asami the nearest restroom on the way and she can’t help but laugh, “I didn’t realize you lived in such _luxury.”_

Korra rolls her eyes, “Please, like you can say anything when you grew up in a place called the _Sato Mansion._ ”

“Well, I for one can’t say that I’m a _princess.”_

“I am not a princess!”

Asami takes the bathroom first, washing her body and changing into her pajamas and robe. She meets Korra on the way back, the two high five and continue on their way. Asami fixes the bed for the both of them, getting in with shivers running up her back. Even with the heaviest sweater and thickest sweatpants, she’s still freezing. She wishes Korra would come back faster so she can curl up into her natural warmth. For the time being, she brings the covers up to her nose and brings her knees to her chest. While she may not like the cold, she’ll brave it for Korra, no questions asked.

Her favorite girl finally comes in, gently shutting the door and laughing at Asami’s current state. She’s too cold to argue now, murmuring for Korra to get in. After some quick, snide remarks that Asami will surely be getting her back for, Korra slides in on her side and displays her arms open for Asami. She takes no time in scrunching up next to Korra, feeling a little relief when those warm arms are strongly wrapped around her.

“Thank you for being here.”

“Thank you for asking me.”

In the arms of her favorite girl is all Asami can ever ask for. The nights of getting to fall asleep next to Korra have become second nature, she can’t bear to think about the first night she’ll have to lay in bed alone. Waking up like that though is something Asami is no stranger to. In the weeks that Korra has been staying over, not once has Asami fallen asleep next to her and woken up the same way. Korra is always up first, it doesn’t matter how early Asami opens her eyes, Korra is never there. She’s explained to Asami that she’s grateful for her being a heavy sleeper; Korra is able to go to sleep, usually long after Asami has, and can stay asleep for about an hour before shifting around in the bed until she finds another position comfortable enough for another hour or so. The cycle repeats until it feels like her body is sinking into the bed, and at that point she gets up. She can never make it back into bed, no matter how much she wants to, it’s always that sinking feeling that stops her.

So, waking up the next morning with Korra laying next to her is unexpected. She’s on her stomach, one arm tucked under her pillow, the other lazily placed on Asami’s waist. She wonders if Korra has finally been able to overcome that sinking feeling. She doesn’t want to disturb her, not knowing how long ago she’d fallen back asleep, so she resorts to simply looking at Korra’s arms. It takes all of her strength not to trace the lines of her tattoo, trace the line of her tricep, it takes all of her strength not to reach out to the girl’s face and cup her cheek and kiss her good morning.

When Korra finally wakes up, Asami smiles wide, “Good morning, sleepyhead. Can’t believe I got to say it first.”

Korra groans, burying her face in her pillow, “Ugh, what time is it?”

Asami finally moves, thankful for the newfound movement of blood to the arm she laid on, and checks her phone, “8:30, I slept in a little. When did you come back to sleep?”

Korra doesn’t answer, her head stays buried in the pillow. Her arm grips tighter around Asami’s waist and when she turns her face, Asami can’t read her eyes.

“What?”

Korra looks at her, breathing slowly, “Asami, I think I slept through the night.”

She gasps, a smile slowly forms on her face and she throws herself into Korra. The girl laughs, rubbing her back, but quickly stops and groans again.

“Ugh, mornings are evil. At least if I’d been up at 3, this time would be like my afternoon.”

Korra turns over and puts the pillow over her head. Asami chuckles and gets up to use the restroom. When she comes back, Korra is still in the same spot and she resolves to leave the girl be, she deserves it at the very least. She squeezes her shoulder affectionately before trying to find her way to the kitchen. She remembers the path right and as she gets closer to the main entrance of the palace, a familiar voice fills her ears.

“I’m simply looking for my daughter, I won’t be more than a few minutes.”

As she turns the corner, Asami sees her father standing in the foyer with Senna. Senna smiles and rubs Asami’s arms before leaving them there. Hiroshi fiddles with the wool cap in his hands and clears his throat.

“Asami, I hope it’s okay I’ve come here. I asked Kuvira where you were,” he shifts in place and sighs. “Do you know of anywhere we can go to for a few moments? I don’t know who else is here but I’d rather not talk in the middle of the main entrance.”

Asami remembers seeing an open door to what looked like a sitting room and begins to walk towards it. Hiroshi straggles behind, closing the door after him while Asami takes a seat. She looks up at her father, unsure of what to think.

He doesn’t speak, his eyes shift around the room. He walks along the walls, looking at the framed ancient maps and scrolls on the walls, scanning a few of the titles on the bookshelf before finally looking at Asami. His eyes fall, as do his shoulders, and he sighs.

“I’m not sure where to begin,” Hiroshi picks up a picture frame from the bookshelf. He grins, giving it to Asami. It’s a picture of Baby Korra with a shirt that’s just a bit too small for her, “This Korra, she’s made quite the introduction for herself.”

Asami smiles at the picture, at the big blue eyes, so hopeful.

“I know that I haven’t been a good father to you, Asami. I was never sure I’d ever be a father, to be honest. Your mother and I had been together for a long time, and when you were conceived, Future Industries was just making way. Yasuko was so happy to be pregnant and there was nothing more I ever wanted than for your mother to be happy. So, for her, of course I’d try to be a father. I read all those parenting books and went to the baby classes, I prepared myself as best I could while balancing the legacy I was building for the company. You were finally born and Future Industries had just become a big name in the business and it felt like everything had fallen into place. Your mother was happy, I’d gotten exactly what I wanted from the company, and the most beautiful bundle of joy is what I got to come home to every night.”

“Dad--”

“No, please,” he interrupts, frowning for having to do so. “I’d like to get this all out first, I realize you deserve to hear this.” He sits down on the other chair, tucking his wool cap into his jacket pocket and taking off his glasses, “The first few years were great but as the company gained more and more success, my job became more demanding. I tried so hard to find time for you and Yasuko, as well as what being CEO entailed, and I wrongfully started to lean towards one more than the other. I was aware but I’d fallen into such a routine of putting the company first, it was hard to break. And then your mother died,” his voice breaks. He takes a handkerchief out of the inside of his jacket and wipes his nose, “in a Satomobile, no less.”

Asami reaches out and places a hand on her dad’s wrist.

“You were too young then to know but I’d fallen into a serious depression and I focused everything I had on making Satomobiles safer. It was an ill attempt at trying to save your mother after the fact but I didn’t know what else I could do. And since then, nothing has changed and I’m still putting everything I have into Future Industries,” he moves his wrist to take Asami’s hand. “I’m so sorry.”

She wipes away a tear with her free hand and sighs, “Dad, I know Mom’s death was hard. It was hard for us both and I know in different ways, but this doesn’t excuse the fact that I’ve felt so alone for years, not to mention suppressed in the workplace I thought I’d get to share with you.”

He sighs again, “I know, Asami. I don’t know why,” he furrows his eyebrows. “Perhaps I didn’t want you to turn into me, I saw how hard you were working and I feared you might make it a habit rather than a profession like I had.” He drops his head, “It wasn’t right, I know that now.”

The two sit in silence, breathing out of sync, holding each other’s hands.

“Dad, I really appreciate you coming here and saying all of that to me,” she says. “I’m glad you know it wasn’t right, but this is only half of what you need to do, of what you need to change. I’m not asking for a perfect father, I just want a dad.”

“Well, surely they wouldn’t have just disappeared, are you sure--” Tonraq sticks his head in the room and smiles. “Future Industries! My, my, my deepest apologies for not greeting you sooner.”

Asami and Hiroshi stand up, the two fathers shake hands.

“Good morning, Asami,” Tonraq says. “I hope I wasn’t bursting in on anything, I’ve been just a bit eager since I heard Korra knows someone from _the_ Future Industries! I’ve got colleagues and friends who always go on about those Satomobiles, and the tribe would love to have some, I’m sure, but the cars aren’t really suited for the snow and ice down here.”

Hiroshi nods, “Well, I’m sure there’s a way to rectify this.” He turns, “Any ideas, Asami?”

She stands, stunned. The men look between her and she shakes her head, “Um, reinforced tires will surely help with the terrain, perhaps a larger model as well? A heating system will most certainly be included.”

Hiroshi smiles wide, putting his hand on Asami’s shoulder. The three talk more until Senna knocks on the door and tells everyone breakfast is ready. When they arrive, Korra is sitting at the table, head in her hand, tossing her spoon around the bowl of oatmeal. She lazily turns to where everyone’s entered, about to speak, but when she spots Hiroshi, she jolts up and tries to look presentable.

“Mr. Sato!” she exclaims, smoothing out the fabric of her sweatpants, “Good morning! I, I didn’t know you were here,” she frantically looks at Asami, “Asami, _why didn’t you tell me your dad was here?”_

The group laughs. Hiroshi speaks up, “It was an impromptu visit.”

Hiroshi ends up staying for three days. With Asami in the lead, he and Tonraq help extensively plan the new line of Satomobiles fit to bear not only the Water Tribes’ weather and roads but also outside cities for land types. Hiroshi listens to everything Asami has to offer, approving and adding onto all of her ideas. Tonraq watches in awe, saying more than once he doesn’t know how to feel being the dumbest man in the room, but he doesn’t mind it. Not only does Hiroshi stay to help plan, but he also spends time with Asami; the two explore the tribe center together, eat at all the local restaurants, and do a few of the touristy things like the boat rides and landmark tours.

He leaves to go to the Fire Nation conference he pulled strings to get into. He regrets not being able to bring Asami but is glad she’ll be spending the rest of her spring break with Korra and her family.

“You know, I like that Korra,” Hiroshi says as Asami walks him to the harbour entrance. “She reminds me of your mother: steadfast, strong, passionate, kind. You two are lovely together.”

He smiles warmly and Asami is too flustered to even argue. They hug and Asami reminds herself to thank Kuvira.

The rest of the spring break is spent laughing, eating Water Tribe delights, spending time with Korra and her parents, and exploring whatever else of the tribe she hasn’t seen. She continues finishing up the new Satomobile ideas, thanking Korra whenever she brings a cup of tea for her.

Before they know it, the break is over and they have to return to Republic City. Tonraq tries to hold back tears as he and Senna bring them to the harbour. Senna sternly tells Asami not to be a stranger and that she’s always welcome. Asami hides her own tears and hugs the parents tightly. Korra says her goodbyes as well then takes Asami hand and gets on the boat.

Back in Republic City, Korra decides she’s finally up for working again, though decides with Tenzin it will no longer be overnight. The poor man, Ryu, has been filling in for her shift since her absence. Tenzin mentions that Ryu had barely any emotions about the news, so it must be okay. On her first day back, Asami visits, surprised to see the cafe in full swing for the first time.

There are at least four other baristas with Korra and they all shuffle behind the now small looking counter, making drinks, heating up pastries, serving others, and taking orders. When Asami walks in, Korra’s eyes light up and she immediately gestures to the tables. Asami nods, sitting down at her table, glad that it’s empty, and begins working on her sketches. Korra had been gracious enough to give Asami some tips on drawing. These sketches are some of her best work, exciting her even more for the opportunity at hand. 

“Asami!”

She walks up to the counter, profusely smiling at Korra. The girl has her hair tied back, still with one of Asami’s scrunchies, and the sleeves of her tee shirt and rolled up a bit. (Absolutely to show off the muscle she’s regaining.) Korra places a to-go cup on the counter and slides it over to her. She turns it around and it reveals Korra’s phone number with a message. _Call me._

Asami furrows her eyebrows and then looks up at Korra, who winks at her with that lopsided smile and rosy red cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you enjoyed :)  
> for the time being, i think i'll take a short break from posting any new stories. i'll still be writing in the meantime, but i'd just like to sit with this story for a while. thank you again everyone.  
> a few things while i have you:  
> [be a doll and take this quiz for me?](https://www.opinionstage.com/riceccakes/what-would-you-like-to-see-next)  
> chapter four analysis
> 
> okay, that's it for now, thanks again :))) xxx


	5. The Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> surprise bitches.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> light smut, enjoy x.

Korra holds up the two tops she has, desperately looking at Kuvira with hopeful eyes. In one hand is a blue, sleeveless zip up hoodie, in the other is a white, oversized muscle shirt.

“Are these really the choices you’re set on?”

Korra groans, throwing them both aside and flopping down on her bed, “Kuvira! It’s going to be hot out tonight, anyways. You know, when I begged Asami to let me ask you to help me, I didn’t think you’d be questioning my choices!”

Kuvira laughs, throwing the oversized shirt onto her, “I’m surprised she even let you ask.”

Korra sighs, sitting up on her bed and pulling on the shirt, “It was a hard conversation but she has the crew so she can’t complain.”

The date is tonight. Korra’s planned every last detail: the venue, the food, the exact time and place she’ll stop them on their walk so that they can see the orange and purple haze of the sunset on their faces; every detail down to the very thing she’ll say when she picks up Asami at her apartment: _Hey, have you been to a cafe recently? Cause, I’ve got to say, coffee? More like Hottie._ (Kuvira does not approve at all.)

After fixing her hair in the mirror, Korra walks out of her room and to her kitchen. She picks up the flowers on the table, giving them a quick sniff before smiling. Purple heathers sprinkled around pink tulips framed by red gladiolus; she spent the longest time at the florist finding the perfect bouquet. Korra checks the time and takes a deep breath.

Kuvira places a hand on her shoulder, “Don’t be nervous, she’ll love the flowers.”

Korra shrugs.

“Come on, Korra. Asami has liked you for a long time. There’s nothing to worry about.”

Her voice is low, “I’ve never been on a date.” She lightly touches the petal of one the tulips, “I’ve never even kissed someone before.”

Kuvira pauses, “Oh, I get it now. Well, I’m _completely_ flattered you wanted to have me here tonight so that you could practicing kissing someone--”

Korra punches her shoulder. Kuvira lets out a bellowing laugh and Korra quickly follows suit.

“Kuvira, I don’t want to mess anything up,” Korra begins walking towards the door. “From the moment she walked into the cafe, I knew there was something about her. I didn’t want to be an idiot and think it was love or anything but she came back the next week and, well,” her voice trails off. She sighs, shaking her head, “Asami deserves the absolute best of everything and I can plan the date and bring her flowers and pay for the meal and make her laugh, and I _know_ she’ll love it. But,” she stops again, her grip on the bouquet stems involuntarily gets tighter, “what if I’m not good at it?”

Kuvira rolls her eyes, still chuckling from her previous joke, “Trust me, she’ll love the date and she’ll love your lips just as much, maybe even more. Now, can we stop talking about kissing Asami, she’s basically my sister and I don’t want to hear about it.”

As they walk down the stairs of Korra’s apartment, Korra makes kiss noises at Kuvira, badly imitating Asami’s voice. They walk out onto the street to where Kuvira’s car is parked and begin the drive to Asami’s apartment. Korra’s hand aches to hold Asami’s again, to intertwine their fingers and give her a squeeze. She left the girl early that morning, to make sure everything is ready for the night. She’s thankful Hiroshi had been understanding enough to not only give Asami the day off but also Kuvira, as the bodyguard was essential to Korra carrying through her plans. Sure, Korra could’ve had the crew bring her around the city to get all the gifts she wanted to give Asami, but Kuvira knows her best; Korra triple checked everything with her to make sure Asami would have the best night.

Korra sniffs at her wrist again, wondering if Asami really will like the new perfume she bought with Kuvira. It’s still a warm, vanilla scent, now with light notes of pine and sage. It’s, as well, an actual perfume, and not the body spray mist that’s only nine yuans at the local market. (Nine yuans for a bottle that’ll last over a year? Korra can’t think of anything better.) She fiddles with the end of her oversized shirt, wondering if she should’ve tucked it into her basketball shorts; now she wonders if she should’ve worn something a little nicer than _basketball shorts._ Her hand slowly starts to wander up to the scarred skin on her wrists but Kuvira stops her.

“We are almost there. You’ve done a great job planning, Asami’s more than lucky for this,” Kuvira says. The sound of her voice makes Korra drop her hands. “Is...will Opal still be there, when we get there?”

Korra looks at the woman and sighs, “Asami said she’d tell the crew they didn’t have to stay after she got ready but I don’t know.” Korra pokes her shoulder as they reach a red light, “We haven’t been too sure about bringing you up, do you want us to?”

“No...yes...I,” Kuvira groans, stepping on the gas pedal a little too hard. The car jolts forward before settling into the speed. “I don’t know. I didn’t know Opal’s been in Republic City, I didn’t know you guys would end up knowing her too.” Kuvira’s knuckles become white on the steering wheel, “I just won’t come up.”

Korra watches as her jaw tenses up, there’s no changing her mind now. She nods, bringing her attention away from Kuvira and back to the bouquet in her hands. She smiles, wondering how Asami will react upon seeing them, wondering if she’d really listen to Korra’s, _“Don’t dress up, we’re not going anywhere fancy.”_ She bites her lip as they come up to her building. Kuvira parks in an empty spot on the street and turns to Korra with a smile. She places her hand on her shoulder and gives it a squeeze. The two girls bump fists as Korra gets out, taking a deep breath before walking into the building. She talks to herself, rehearsing the opening line she has planned, emphasizing different words to see which version would sound better. As she gets to the door, she takes one final deep breath and knocks.

She hears some commotion on the other side, the recognizable voice of Bolin screams incomprehensible words and the voices of Mako and Opal follow suit. She hears footsteps come to the door and when it opens, her eyes grow wide. Asami stands in a cream colored crop top with red high waisted shorts, along with converse and a long gold necklace. Her hair is pulled back into a low ponytail and she has on a light face of makeup.

Korra’s never seen her look so beautiful.

“Oh, Korra,” Asami whispers. Korra follows her eyes to the bouquet in her hands.

She lamely holds them out to her, realizing her mouth has been open this whole time. She swallows, “Uh...wow.”

Asami rolls her eyes, “You’re not allowed to say _wow_ Korra, not when I’m not even dressed up.” She sniffs the bouquet and smiles, “Thank you, though. And for these.”

She steps aside and Korra walks in. Her eyes stayed glued to Asami, even when the crew says hello, Korra waves at them while watching Asami put the flowers in a vase. She feels a tap on her shoulder. When it doesn’t stop, she turns to see Bolin looking up at her with big eyes.

“You guys are everything and more,” he whispers. 

Mako lightly slaps the back of his head, “Let them go out, Bolin.”

Opal sits on the couch with Naga on her lap, both look as happy as ever. “Thanks for letting me look after her while you’re out. We’re gonna have the best time, aren’t we, Naga?” The dog’s tail wags as Opal scratches behind her ear.

“Are you guys going out or are you just staying here?” Korra asks, slowly moving towards Asami. Her hand finds Asami’s waist and the girl takes a step so that their bodies touch.

“I know Asami said we could leave but we’re already here, and she has a better sound system,” Bolin answers, plopping stomach down onto the couch. “We’ll just stay for a movie, to bring Naga out for her pee, and then be out of here before you guys get back.” He winks at the girls.

Korra looks up at Asami who rolls her eyes. She drops her grip around her waist to opt for Asami’s hand. Their fingers intertwine as they say bye to their friends and leave the building. Asami starts to head towards her car but Korra tugs her hand.

“No need to drive, let’s go.”

Korra feels Asami’s eyes on her arms as they walk, she tries to hide a proud grin but she can’t help it. Just recently, she’s gotten to the fifty pound weights and is lifting the dumbbells effortlessly. Soon, for sure, she’ll be able to start deadlifting again. She’s starting to feel like her body is her own again, she’s starting to relax more, plus the spring this season is bringing an unusual heat; wearing tee shirts and sleeveless shirts just seem right.

Asami questions where they’re going but Korra only urges them forward, practically sprinting at one point which only makes Asami laugh. Finally, they round a corner and find a street festival going on. There are vendors set up one after the other, some with food, other selling items like clothing and homemade items. They both find one table in particular, Asami’s eyes light up and she looks at Korra with a wide smile. Now it’s Asami that’s pushing forward, Korra only slightly frowns when she feels Asami’s grip release her hand but she can’t possibly be so upset when Asami’s smile warms her heart.

The girl scans over the items in front of her: it’s a scraps table, filled with old car parts, computer circuits, all the things Korra doesn’t entirely understand. She watches as Asami asks the vendor if there’s anything else, already collecting as many items as she can in her hands. The man goes under his tent and returns with a box, one that Asami is already trying to raid, even with her hands already full. Korra pokes her arm, gesturing for the items she holds and Asami happily nods, telling her to be careful before going through the rest. Korra gets the attention of the other vendor, asking how much everything will be. Once Asami has been satisfied with her finds, Korra pulls out her wallet and counts the amount in yuans.

“Wait, Korra, you’re already paying for the food,” Asami says, trying to stop her.

It’s too late, Korra hands over the cash and takes the bag of Asami’s things, “I have more than enough for tonight.” She gives her free hand and Asami takes it, “You know, I knew you’d love that stand. I really had to make sure they’d be here tonight.”

“You’ve been here before?”

“I pass by this when I run at night, decided the other day to check it out and I thought you’d like it,” Korra says. 

They walk around, intently looking at each vendor’s tables, giving the home crafters compliments before checking the next one. They buy a few more small things, Korra gets a set of earrings she thinks her mom will like, buys Asami the heels she’d been looking at, gets new stuffed animals (one for Naga, the other for Bolin). The girls approach the food vendors and Korra tells her what she’s most interested in, but that it would ultimately be Asami’s choice which one they buy food from.

She chooses two places: the kebab stand smells too heavenly for her to pass on and the fresh smell of waffle cones at the ice cream stand a few vendors down has her heart melt. Korra happily orders for them, finding them a small patch of sidewalk where they can eat. She sits down, placing the bags between her legs and takes Asami’s hand to help her down. They each take a skewer and start eating.

“How’s work going?” Korra asks in between bites, “Is what you bought from the scraps table for the new project?”

Asami shakes her head, “The scraps are for me, I’m trying to make a little robot.” The smile on her face is too precious, Korra feels her cheeks hurt from smiling. “But, work is good. Dad’s letting me choose my team for the new project so that’s on the agenda first.”

Korra wipes her face with a napkin, “It’s so cool he’s letting you take this one solo.”

“Yeah, I was kind of sad to have to let the Water Tribe car line go but I get it. I can’t exactly be traveling right now for work, as much as I want to, but graduating comes first on the list. I trust Zonak, he’s actually from the North too so that’s helpful.”

“Don’t sell yourself short. Your idea of being able to drive this new line in any weather condition is a big reason why it’s really taken off.” She sees the sad look in Asami’s eyes. Korra nudges her shoulder and kisses her cheek, “Graduation isn’t the _only_ reason you passed over the project, right?”

Asami rolls her eyes, placing her now empty skewer back onto the paper to-go basket. She scoots closer to Korra, placing an arm around her waist. Korra blushes as she feels Asami’s lips gently kiss her temple. They stay in that position as they finish the skewers, Korra points out a few passersby and asks what their deal is. Korra says the one at the jewelry stand is last minute shopping for his anniversary, Asami says the couple looking at the homemade staffs are planning a hiking trip, Korra says the little girl looking at toys is celebrating her birthday and her parents are letting her pick out her present. Korra feels Asami looking down at her, her heart pounds as she meets Asami’s emerald eyes.

“The couple sitting down on the sidewalk are having a great first date,” Asami whispers, gently placing her forehead on Korra’s.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Asami repeats, finding one of Korra’s hands and bringing it to her lips. She kisses her knuckles gently and smiles, “Now, can we get ice cream?”

Korra pays for their two cones, now bringing Asami away from the street vendors. They cross a few streets before coming upon a small park. Just as Korra’s planned, the orange and purple haze from the sunset perfectly rests on the bench they sit at. She looks at Asami with a smile, twirling her favorite strand of the girl’s hair in fingers. 

She casts her eyes down, “You know, this is my first date ever.” Her chest feels heavy, she isn’t sure why she’s so scared.

Asami places her hand on Korra’s cheek, asking that she look at her again, “I wouldn’t have ever guessed it, this has been so much fun.”

“So, you’ve been on dates before?”

Asami sighs, nodding, “I had a boyfriend in high school, it was your typical high school relationship. And then I went out on a few dates with a girl when I first got into college. That ended after she tried to get a Satomobile for half price.”

The girls laugh and Korra sinks into Asami’s touch on her face.

“I’m glad you were my first,” she whispers, kissing Asami’s palm. “I really like you.”

She sees Asami blush, her thumb starts lightly stroking her skin, “I really like you, too, Korra.”

They begin leaning in, Korra swears her heart is about to burst. As she nears, she smells the sweet apple scent of Asami and smiles. It’s as if the whole world is moving in slow motion cause with every second she leans in, her life in the past year flashes before her eyes: the confusion of learning her uncle turned on her father, the fear after the first Red Lotus attempt and the fear of each one after it, the night of the attack, the loss of control, the loss of self, the empty days and emptier nights, the crying, the pain, the sight of the moon turning into the sun, the conversation with her parents and Tenzin about leaving the South, her arrival at Republic City, her anger at herself for not getting better, her anger at herself for not being there for Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo, the restlessness of looking over her shoulder at every moment, the jingle of a bell.

And suddenly she’s brought back to reality as she feels Asami’s lips on hers, as the girl gently leads them in a sweet kiss. It’s slow and consuming, Korra’s sure her chest has exploded and Asami is giving her CPR. Her arms wrap around Asami’s waist, bringing her closer, smiling as Asami brings her other hand up to Korra’s cheek. Asami tastes like strawberry and mint ice cream, her lips are the softest thing Korra’s ever felt, the feeling of her hands on her face makes her heat up and her mind swims, wading through the thought of Asami.

The kiss ends, sweetly as it started, Korra’s lips still reaching out for more. Asami places her forehead on Korra’s. “I really, _really_ like you, Korra.”

“Again,” she whispers, blushing at how needy she sounds. She opens her eyes and sighs, “Can I kiss you again?”

Asami nods, leaning back in again.

* * *

Korra knows she’s being distracting, Korra knows she’s being a disturbance, but Korra doesn’t care. Not when Asami looks so cute so flustered.

Asami is on the phone, she’s sitting at her dining table with her binders spread across it. She’s on the phone with Hinata, her marketing appointee, discussing if radio commercials will be more beneficial than billboards. Korra has pulled a seat up next to her, gently nipping at her jaw. One hand rests on Asami’s thigh, the other gets lost in her hair. She starts placing small kisses down her neck, moving towards her free ear and kissing at a sweet spot. Asami clears her throat over the phone, placing her hand on top of Korra’s on her thigh. She doesn’t move it, though, rather she grips her hand, extending her neck further for Korra to explore. 

She smiles, now getting sloppier with her kisses, finding peace within her girlfriend’s neck. Korra’s pretty sure Asami is trying to wrap up the phone call as quickly as she can but she’s more caught up in Asami’s soft skin. Her kisses start to trail down to her shoulder, she pulls down Asami’s tank top strap with her teeth and feels Asami’s hand grip her harder.

“Yes, Hinata, I trust whatever you choose,” Asami speeds through her sentence. “You can call me again later if you need anything else...That should be no problem...If you’d like, I can run the numbers again later…Yes, later Hinata...Okay, thank you, you too...Don’t worry Hinata, we have a lot of time before anything is due...Okay, you too, bye Hinata.”

Asami hangs up the phone, groaning, pulling Korra into a searing kiss. She smirks against the kiss, her finger tracing long lines up Asami’s thigh and the girl shudders.

“Shit, Korra, did you really have to do this now?”

Korra shrugs, returning back to Asami’s neck, “I don’t know what you mean.”

Asami groans again, pushing her chair out and straddling Korra’s. She pulls Korra away from her neck and back into a kiss, letting her hands get lost in Korra’s hair. She moans as Korra’s hands pull at the hem of her shirt. It’s music to Korra’s ears, she wants to hear it louder, longer, she wants it to be the only thing she hears.

Her hands lift up Asami’s tank top slightly, hands now resting on bare skin.

Asami stops, panting hard, looking at Korra, “Are you…” 

Korra’s thumbs stroke her skin, eyes staring into Asami’s. “I’m ready,” she whispers, bringing one hand up to Asami’s breast. 

They’d made out before but only that. Asami wouldn’t rush Korra into anything she wasn’t ready to do yet and Korra wanted to make sure their first time would be good. Korra wanted to know Asami more, her body that is, and find safe spots she would be sure Asami would always like if anything she did wasn’t right or good enough. Everything else is new and Korra can only hope she studied herself well enough to please Asami.

They’ve had the conversation about partners. Korra was scared to share, mostly since she didn’t know Asami’s history. Her worst case scenario was that Asami had been with many people before, in a distant time when she was experimenting and wanted to know what it was all like, but Korra reminded herself this probably isn’t the case. She’s proven right when Asami tells her she’s only been with three people; she gave her virginity to her high school boyfriend, slept with that girl who tried to get a Satomobile half price and tried to give the boy her father set her up with a chance. The three experiences, however, were not impressionable to her, especially the third.

Korra, on the other hand, has had no experience. She’s had her fair share of crushes, on a few of the other girls and boys in the tribe as she grew up, but of course, nothing happened with any of them. Then in the city, in a moment of weakness, Korra found a club underground. It didn’t look trustworthy, but Korra had feared she couldn’t feel anything anymore. In the private room, the only thing she felt was trapped, and it didn’t help that the woman in there tried to tease her with handcuffs. As soon as she got close to Korra’s wrists, memories of Zaheer rang through her body, and she bursted out of the room before anything more could happen.

Since then, Korra hasn’t tried anything, but when her girlfriend is Asami Sato, when her girlfriend is the most beautiful and gorgeous girl on the planet, it’s hard for her to not even _think_ about going further than making out. It’s just been a matter of getting comfortable with herself before she could get comfortable with Asami.

Korra feels Asami’s nipple harden as her hand begins to lightly massage her breast. Asami moans into Korra’s lips, allowing her to slip her tongue in. Admittedly, she doesn’t know what she’s doing, and Asami knows it as well, as the girl takes over and begins leading them. Korra feels her grind down on her crotch, her innate reaction is to thrust up. Asami moans again, guiding Korra’s hand to take her nipple. Korra draws small circles over the bud and breathes heavily against Asami’s lips.

“Bedroom,” Asami groans, biting down on Korra’s bottom lip.

She nods, following Asami’s demand and carrying her to her room. Korra smiles against Asami’s lips, stopping for a second to show how strong she is by holding Asami without any issue. Asami laughs, asking again for the bed, raking her hands up Korra’s shirt, trying to find the end of the fabric. Korra lays Asami down on the bed, pulling off her shirt as Asami kicks off her shorts. The clothing falls to the ground and Asami sits up to bring her lips to Korra’s. They moan into each other, Asami pulls away and looks at the now shirtless Korra.

Her hands quickly grasp her, tracing the prominent lines, “Abs, Korra? God, you have _abs.”_

Asami begins kissing Korra’s chest, Korra can only wrap her arms around her and moan in delight. Asami backs up on the bed, beckoning Korra to join her, and Korra nods, biting her lip and letting Asami straddle her once more. 

Asami pulls off her shirt, revealing her breasts to Korra. She gulps, quite visibly she’s sure, and her girlfriend smiles. She takes Korra’s hands again and brings them to her waist. Korra slides them down to her ass and Asami grins. She leans down and kisses Korra’s neck, she nips at her skin and lightly bites just above her collarbone.

“Again,” she whimpers, and Asami does so.

* * *

Korra stares up at the ceiling. Her breathing has leveled out, she feels her heart rate begin to decrease. She peers over at Asami, who lays on her stomach. She smiles, tracing a line down her bare back, landing just above her ass. Asami hums, eyes fluttering open.

“Did I fall asleep?”

Korra chuckles, “Yeah, but I guess I was just that good.”

Asami turns on her side, Korra sees her breasts and grins. “You’re always this good, honey.”

She smiles, leaning down to kiss her forehead. Asami takes her chin before she can move away and gives her a small kiss, once, twice, three times for good measure. Korra wishes every night to be like this and every night, so far, has. While the sex is amazing, she can do without it, talking to Asami in bed until the girl falls asleep, looking at her in adoration, admiration. All she needs is Asami next to her and Korra knows she can brave anything, especially the nights.

She’s been lucky recently, the last few weeks have been the easiest sleep for her. The memory of Zaheer still lingers but he hasn’t invaded her dreams. He does, though, echo in her mind as she tries to fall asleep. Sometimes, the sounds of the world outside imitate the sounds she heard on that night. Korra will involuntarily look at the door, body tensing in defense, but then, Asami will stir next to her, as if even in her sleep she knows, and she’ll reach out and lazily lay her arm on Korra. It’s all the girl needs before she takes easy breaths and falls asleep.

“What time is it?” Asami asks, curling up closer.

Korra turns, finding the clock on the nightstand next to her, 12:37. Korra wraps her arm around Asami, playing with her hair. Asami kisses her chest, bringing her body even closer. It’s calm, it’s peace, it’s utter serenity; it’s the life Korra thought she could never have. She could’ve never imagined laying in bed with her girlfriend, never imagined having a great group of friends, never imagined being here to even have the chance at it.

It was a dark time, a string of empty month after empty month, and it hadn’t seemed like anything was worth going on for. She’s thankful she did though, she wasn’t raised a quitter. Not only thankful to make it through to have this support group but to make it through the trauma and make it out stronger.

Korra whispers, “I love you,” holding Asami just a little bit tighter.

Asami snores lightly. Korra smiles, it doesn’t matter. She loves Asami, she’d say it in the morning when her girlfriend wakes up, and she’ll say it again and again and over again, for however long she can.


End file.
